Chicken Rice Pilaf
Chicken rice pilaf is a one-pan weeknight warrior. Packed with spiced chicken, fluffy rice, and a variety of textures from almonds, pistachios, olives, and dried apricots, this dish is flavorful and satisfying.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 722kcal
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 3 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 6 chicken thighs (about 1 ½ lbs)
- ¾ cup chopped dried apricots (about one 5-oz jar)
- 1 cup Castelvetrano olives roughly chopped
- ½ cup roasted shelled pistachios
- ⅓ cup roasted sliced almonds
- 2 cups basmati rice rinsed well and drained
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
For the spice blend
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp turmeric
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Roast the vegetables. In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, combine the onion and cauliflower. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to evenly coat. Spread in an even layer and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Roast in the preheated oven until the cauliflower is beginning to brown, 18-22 minutes. Then, remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Prepare the spice blend. In a small bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, and turmeric. Mix to combine, then sprinkle the chicken thighs with 2 tsp of the spice blend. Set the chicken thighs aside, along with the remaining spice blend.
- Assemble the dish. To the baking dish with the roasted vegetables, add the prepared rice, apricots, olives, pistachios, almonds, and remaining spice blend. Stir together and pour in the stock and cream. Place the chicken thighs on top. Cover with foil and return to the 350°F oven. Bake until the rice is tender and the chicken registers 160°F, 45-55 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes to brown the top of the chicken and bring the internal temperature to 165°F. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
Keep the stems of the cauliflower. They can be cut down to reduce the size of the cauliflower, but roast them along with the rest of the vegetables; they hold the same amount of flavor and get equally as tender.
Use chicken thighs for this dish. Thighs are a dark meat that can handle a long roasting time in the oven. They are able to maintain moisture better than chicken breasts.
Rinse the basmati rice to remove the excess starch. This ensures proper cooking in the oven. Also be sure to cover the dish with foil while it roasts, as this traps the steam to cook the dish properly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 722kcal
QR code
Scan this QR code with your phone's camera to view this recipe on your mobile device.
