I don’t need to explain how much i love this dish, it’s so easy, satisfying, and delicious.

I love having it with cold yogurt and tabbouleh, but you can have it as is.

I also always make extra stock and keep it in the freezer, so that the next time i want to make this dish i only bake the chicken instead of boiling it.

Tips: Keep some stock on the side if you want to reheat your rice and chicken so it doesn’t dry up.

This recipe likes fat, so if you don’t mind it, add a few more tbsp of butter or olive oil to the rice.

Lebanese Rice and Chicken (riz 3a djej)

Print Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Lebanese

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
1 roughly chopped onion
2 bay leaves
1 roughly chopped carrot
1 roughly chopped celery stick
2 cloves
5 cups water or more if you want to freeze some stock
500 g minced beef or lamb for a fattier more flavorful version
2 cups short grain rice washed well i use Italian
1/2 cup peeled almonds
1/2 cup pine nuts
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp cinnamon Powder
2 tsp all spice
3 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp cardamom Powder

Instructions

In a pressure cooker, add the olive oil. Once heated, fry the onion for a couple of minutes. Add the carrot and celery and fry them for 2 mins
Add the chicken, 1 tsp all spice, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamom powder, and 1 tsp salt and brown it on each side for 3-5 mins
Pour the water on top and once it boils add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods. bay leaf and cloves. You can remove the white froth. Close the lid and cook for 40-45 mins
Meanwhile in a pot, add the butter. Once melted, fry the beef until browned, turn heat off
Once the chicken cooks, set it aside to cook. Strain the stock
Heat the beef, add the rice, remaining spices and salt. Fry around for a few minutes
Add 1-1.5 cups of warm stock for every 1 cup of rice, or until liquid is just above the rice, if you want to eyeball it
Once it bubbles, close the lid on the pot, lower the heat and cook for 10-15 mins
Turn off the heat and keep lid closed for another 20 min
Meanwhile fry the nuts in the vegetable oil
Shred the chicken to the thickness that you prefer, or if you want, you can first broil it until it gets crispy then shred it
Put the rice mix on a plate, top with chicken and fried nuts