Mediterranean Rice Pilaf With Chicken - Gluten Free Recipe
This rice pilaf with chicken and ground beef, seasoned with the staple Mediterranean spices, is a staple recipe that is served on Christmas and special occasions. It is topped with roasted nuts, and usually served with tabbouleh, rolled grape leaves, and the many other Mediterranean side dishes.
Equipment
- Wooden Spoon
- Medium heavy bottom pot
- fine sieve
- Baking sheet with a drip rack
- Measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Paper towels
- Mortar and pestle or coffee grinder
Ingredients
Rice and beef
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 cups long grain rice
- ¼ cup red onion roughly diced
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 3 cardamom pods shelled and grounded
- 4 cups chicken broth less or more depending on the type of rice
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
Chicken
- 4-6 chicken thighs
- Olive oil
- Rotisserie chicken seasoning
Garnish
- Roasted almonds
- Roasted pine nuts
- Roasted cashews
- Roasted pistachios
- Diced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with some paper towels. Rub the chicken thighs with some olive oil and rotisserie chicken seasoning. Place the chicken in the pan on the drip rack, and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes. This will help dry out the chicken and cause it to be crispier. It will also infuse the flavors into the chicken thighs.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F
- Place the chicken in the oven on the middle rack and allow it to bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until no longer pink on the inside. You can check after 3o minutes to make sure it does not dry out. After that, check every 5 to 10 minutes since chicken thighs vary in sizes and therefore, their cook time varies as well.
- Using a fine sieve, rinse the rice a few times, allow it to drain fully, and set it aside.
- Meanwhile, in a heavy bottom pot, on medium heat, brown the ground beef along with the crushed garlic and diced onions. If there is too much fat in the pot, you can drain some of it, but leave the rest for the rice.
- Add in the rice, salt, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, white pepper, ground cardamom, and parsley flakes. Stir fry for about 2 to 5 minutes. This will enrich the flavor of the rice. It will give it a deep flavor rather than a flat flavor.
- Add in the chicken broth, the amount that is required to cook the rice. Follow the direction on the rice packaging. Most rice needs a ratio of 1cup of rice to two cups of water.
- Add in a bay leaf. Raise the heat up to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and allow it to cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or as long as it takes for the rice of your choice to be done.
- Debone the chicken thigs and shred them into large pieces.
- Remove the bay leaf from the cooked rice, and place the rice onto a serving platter. Cover with the shredded chicken, and garnish with the roasted nuts and a little bit of chopped green onions.
Notes
traditionally the chicken is browned slightly in some vegetable oil to crisp the skin and remove the undesired flavor when boiled, then it is boiled in water along with all the seasoning, including the onion and garlic, then the chicken broth is used to cook the rice and beef mixture with. I personally do not like boiled chicken, so I changed the recipe to match what my family and I prefer. We all prefer the taste and texture of the baked chicken over boiled.