Easy Middle Eastern Chicken Pilaf

By: (February 12, 2012)

If you are like me, somewhere about February – when it is snowing and blowing like the Roaring 40′s – the idea of roast beef, hamburgers, pizza or fried chicken starts to get just a little bit stale.

Today was one of those days, with a hankering for something just a bit different for Sunday dinner than ‘cattle beast’ or sausages – perhaps a curry or zesty Spanish recipe. The problem, though, is that this weekend we are in the middle of one of our semi-annual ‘Lets swap the living room and wool room – again!’ moves so it was not a great day to be making a mess in the kitchen!

*SNAP*

An idea flashed into my head, what about a chicken pilaf? Something I can make in a single pan, maybe add a little bit of spice and a few veggies, simple-simple while I am trying to figure out which plugs go where in the back of the living room PC!

The resulting recipe (below) can be made as hot and spicy as you like (or not at all), but the key is cooking everything in chicken stock – no water to dilute the flavours. My spices of choice were Cumin and Paprika but you could just as easily use celery salt, poultry season, perhaps a little cinnamon, or if you want something a wee bit different a splash of barbecue sauce.

Mungaria Offendi!

Easy Middle Eastern Chicken Pilaf
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Recipe type: Entree
Author: Mark W. Law
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 50 mins
Total time: 55 mins
Serves: 4
A one-pan chicken pilaf with definite middle eastern overtones.
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups rice, uncooked
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 8 chicken thighs
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot sliced into medallions
  • 1/2 cup butter or margarine
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin (or more!)
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
  1. Melt the butter in your large pan over medium to high heat.
  2. Brown the thighs in the butter (about 5 or 6 minutes per side).
  3. When brown add the salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, onions, carrots and chicken stock, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes.
  4. Now stir in the rice, recover and let simmer for another 20 – 25 minutes until the liquid has been mostly absorbed and the rice is al dente to soft.
  5. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Notes

The spices are optional, the chicken stock is not.
This serves 4 people generously, even better if you have a greek salad and/or fresh homemade pita bread to go with it.

 

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Mark W. Law has been a writing and journalism fanatic since he was first tagged to write a 3 act ’shadow play’ – in Grade 2! Originally from the wee hamlet of Oyster Bay, BC, Mark has worked in many parts of the world, including almost all of the Canadian provinces, the United States, Europe and even a sand-filled radio station in North Africa. During that time he has written for military and local newspapers, served as editor for a number of online magazines as well as publishing his own popular ezine for new writers and artists – The ThinWire Journal. Mark has also penned more than 100 poems and essays and is an internationally known digital artist. And for anyone who lived in Northern BC during the 1980’s and 1990’s, Mark was the ‘morning weatherman’ on CBC Radio. Opinions expressed in ‘the View’ are his own and do not necessarily reflect Teeswater or Teeswater.Ca.

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