Basmati rice and roast chicken are both seasoned with a sophisticated and potent baharat spice blend. By including spices like loomi (dried lime), I was able to create a spice blend that was reminiscent of those used in the Gulf region. Also keep this spice blend on hand to add to soups.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 20 mins |
| Additional Time: | 4 hrs |
| Total Time: | 5 hrs 50 mins |
| Servings: | 5 |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons strong paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- ¾ tablespoon ground coriander
- ¾ tablespoon ground loomi (dried lime)
- ½ tablespoon sumac powder
- ¼ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ tablespoon ground cloves
- ¼ tablespoon ground nutmeg
- 5 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 2 black cardamom pods, crushed
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ fresh lemon, juiced
- 2 chicken thighs
- 2 chicken legs
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 ½ cups brown basmati rice
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup shelled raw almonds
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ⅛ cup shelled raw pistachio nuts
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Make spice blend: Mix together paprika, black pepper, cumin, coriander, loomi, sumac, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, green cardamom, and black cardamom in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Make chicken and rice: Combine cilantro, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon spice blend in a resealable plastic bag. Add chicken thighs, legs, and breast to the bag. Squeeze out excess air, seal the bag, and shake to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- Meanwhile, place rice in a large bowl, cover with water, and soak for at least 1 hour. Drain and rinse, then return to the bowl. Add cashews, almonds, raisins, and pistachios to rice. Stir in 1 tablespoon spice blend; mix well and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a Dutch oven or tagine over medium heat. Cook and stir shallot in hot oil until translucent, 1 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in rice mixture until well combined.
- Remove and discard cilantro from the bag with chicken. Pour marinated chicken on top of rice mixture in the Dutch oven; reserve the bag. Pour broth into the bag, shake gently, and pour over chicken and rice. Cover the Dutch oven.
- Bake in the preheated oven until rice is tender, chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the meat juices run clear, about 75 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of chicken should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 576 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 58 g |
| Cholesterol | 85 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Protein | 34 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Sodium | 336 mg |
| Sugars | 8 g |
| Fat | 26 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Liked it especially the rice, although I marinated the chicken 6 hours I barely tasted any of the special seasoning, just tasted like juicy regular baked chicken. Next time I will marinate chicken overnight and/or try to adapt to cooking in a crockpot which is the best way to thoroughly infuse chicken with spices. Insta pot does cook meats quickly but fail to infuse chicken with flavor. Will try crockpot next time.
Needs at least one more cup of water. I was skeptical about the amount of liquid, but have never pre-soaked rice before, and didn’t know how much of a difference that would make in need for liquid. Turns out, not enough to overcome the 1.5 C rice to 1 C liquid. While the rice came out crunchy, we did like the flavors.
i used a pre-made Baharat spice blend made by Manitou trading.I also used only thighs. Great flavor, smells absolutely wonderful when cooking. This recipe will be one of my definite go-to’s.
It had a wonderful complex flavor – I did not have any loomi – so subbed kefir lime leaf, and I doubled the liquid to 2 cups. It tasted like I was at a Middle-Eastern restaurant.