Chicken with Caramelized Onion & Cardamom Rice : IHCC

"Going With The Grains", the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), where we are currently cooking from Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes. I thought of "spreading my wings" by cooking other grains other than rice, but ended up with rice somehow! I'm "Going With The Grains" this week, in this delicious one pot meal, Chicken With Caramelized Onion & Cardamom Rice.

Hot and fluffy, straight from the cooking pot!

This is a lovely rice meal, the cardamoms, cinnamon sticks and cloves makes the rice so fragrant. The onions are sliced thinly and fried, until they turned brown and caramelized. I really love these onions, next time I'll add on an additional onion. Pieces of chicken are mixed with the spices, some salt and black pepper, then they are pan-fried together with the spices until they are brown on both sides, remove and kept aside. The basmati rice are then stirred into the chicken oil that remains in the pan, together with the caramelized onions, salt and pepper, fry for a short while until the rice are coated. Add in the raisins, which I have added a tablespoon more, as I love raisins in savoury rice. Hot boiling water is then added to the pan, cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes. Remove pan from heat, take off the lid, place a tea-towel over the pot, replace the lid and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped herbs and fluff with a fork. The recipe uses some fresh dill, parsley and coriander. Since I do not have both dill and parsley, but I do have a bunch of fresh coriander, so I have used chopped fresh coriander, about 1 cup.

Remember to remove the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods and cloves before serving, they are not meant to be eaten.

A delicious, easy meal to prepare. The family loves it! 

There's a yoghurt sauce that goes with the rice, but I omitted that, we prefer to eat the rice as it is.

There were no leftovers!

Please do stop by I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) to view what my friends have made for the theme of this week, "Going With The Grain" , and if you are interested to join us, please find out more details from IHCC.

Chicken with Caramelized Onion & Cardamom Rice
(adapted from "Jerusalem" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sammi Tamimi)
3 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoons of water
2-1/2 tablespoons of barberries (you can sub currants)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 whole chicken, quartered, or 2-1/4 pounds of chicken thighs
10 green cardamom pods
rounded 1/4 teaspoon of whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks (or 2 long, broken in half)
1-2/3 cup of basmati rice
2-1/4 cups boiling water
1-1/2 tablespoons of flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup of dill, finely chopped
1/4 cup of cilantro leaves, finely chopped
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the yogurt sauce :
1/2 cup of Greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons of olive oil

1. If you are using currant, skip this step. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the barberries. Allow the barberries to soak while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan. Add the onion and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is golden and caramelized. Transfer onion to a small bowl.
3. Combine the chicken with salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon. Mix everything together with your hands.
4. Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high. Add the chicken, along with the spices, to the pot and cook for 5 minutes on each side. You want to it to get golden, and for the skin to crisp up a bit. Use a pair of tongs to remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
5. Add the rice, caramelized onion, salt, and pepper to the dutch oven. Stir until the rice is coated in the oil/leftover chicken fat. Drain the barberries and add them to the pot. If you are using currants, add them in at this stage. Stir and then re-add the chicken to the pot, tucking it into the rice.
6. Add the boiling water, cover, and dial down the heat to low. Continue cooking, over very low heat, for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the heat, take off the lid and place a tea towel over the pot. Replace the lid and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, use a spoon to stir the olive oil into the yogurt and set aside.
8. Stir in the herbs and use a fork to fluff the rice. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to a serving bowl. Enjoy this dish hot or warm, with a few dollops of yogurt sauce.

kitchen flavour's note :

I washed the basmati rice, then soak in water for about 20-30 minutes. Drain before use.