Chicken Pulao
Musa’s obsession with rice started with this recipe. This pulao, or pilaf, recipe is a rice dish simmered in a broth with spices. My mother in law makes the best pulao! I try to replicate as best as I can since it’s Musa’s favorite but I can never get it quite as good as she does.
This recipe is #top8free so we make it a lot at family gatherings because two nephews on my husband’s side also have gluten, egg and nut allergies. If, however, you aren’t allergic to dairy you can add plain yogurt in to make this more moist. I have added it to the method but feel free to skip if you’re allergic or simply don’t have yogurt on hand.
Ingredients:
- Broth
- 1 lb. of chicken breast cut into medium pieces
- 1/4 cup of fennel seeds
- 1/4 cup of coriander seeds
- 3 garlic cloves, whole
- 1 medium onion, whole
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- Rice mixture
- 2 cups soaked rice
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon black cumin
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt (optional)
- Salt, to taste
Method:
For the broth, add 4 cups of water into a pot and everything but chicken. Bring water to a boil and reduce to medium-low heat. Let the spices cook for 10 minutes and then add chicken. Boil for another 20 minutes and turn off the stove. Drain the spices and all from the broth and set aside the broth.
In a pot heat oil and add in onions. Sauté onions until translucent then add black cumin, garlic, and garam masala. Cook for a few more minutes so everything is mixed well. (Here you can add 3 tablespoons of yogurt and cook it for a couple minutes before adding the soaked rice.) Now add the broth, bring to a slight boil and add the rice. Let it boil, add salt and allow rice to cook. Once the water is almost boiled out, cover the pot and lower the heat until the water is boiled out and rice is cooked through.
Enjoy!
Musa only ever wanted to eat this 3 times a day if he could! I learned that I could make a huge batch of the stock at once and freeze it. All you have to do is prepare the rice mixture at a later time. I usually take the stock out of the freezer the night before and pop it into the fridge. You can take it out the morning of as well and give it 2-3 hours to thaw. At times I’ll add peas and carrots into the pulao to add some veggies.
Lastly, you can use beef or chicken on the bone for this recipe. Both will increase the simmer time for the stock. For beef, I let it simmer for about an hour and half while also increasing the spices by half their quantities. So, instead of 1/4 of a cup of fennel seeds I’ll use 3/4 of a cup.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Enjoy!