Moroccan Chicken with Rice
It is almost funny how easy, healthy, and aromatic this dish is. With minimum effort, you will have delicious food on the table, along with the most flavorful rice.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken with the skin on cut into 7–8 pieces
- 2 cups long-grain rice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 medium red onions finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 6 cardamom pods lightly crushed
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 Tbsp raisins
- A pinch of saffron
- 3 cups chicken stock
- Salt and pepper
- Chopped parsley for garnish
For the Spice Mixture
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan.
- Rinse the rice several times with plenty of cold water until the water runs clear. Drain and set aside.
- In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the spice mixture. Sprinkle the mixture generously over all sides of the chicken pieces, rubbing it in well with your hands (wear gloves). You may feel that there is a lot of spice mixture, but you will need it all. Set the chicken aside until needed.
- Take a large, shallow ovenproof skillet that can later be transferred directly to the oven and is large enough to fit all the chicken pieces in a single layer. If you do not have one, prepare the recipe up to this point and then transfer everything to a baking dish. The important thing is that the dish should not be too deep.
- Heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring, for 2–3 minutes, until they soften and begin to brown. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the cardamom, cumin seeds, and cinnamon stick. Sauté for another minute, then add the rice and raisins. Season with salt and pepper and stir well so that the rice grains are thoroughly combined with the ingredients in the skillet. Add the chicken stock. As soon as it comes to a boil, turn off the heat.
- Arrange the chicken pieces on top of the rice. It is perfectly fine if some of the chicken is partially submerged in the stock.
- Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Bake uncovered for 40–45 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked.
- When you take it out of the oven, the rice will be cooked and fluffy. In some places, it will be crispy and beautifully browned. It is absolutely divine!