Za’atar Chicken with Cardamom Cinnamon Pilaf
Course: DinnerCuisine: MediterraneanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutesWOW!!! I made this for my family and they all went crazy. They all said the chicken and rice were one of the best dishes ever. I found this recipe on the Gourmet Australia site. The recipe was all over the place so I had to make it easier and also in American temperatures and measurements. The flavors are out of this world good. This dish is amazing but you can easily do the rice on its own with another dish like fish or stir fried vegetables. I made the rice a few hours ahead of time and kept the lid on then I placed it in a 300 degree oven to gently rewarm it and it was perfect. The chicken didn’t call for marinating but I did it. I prepped everything in the am then made the rice when I had time and while the chicken cooked I reheated the rice and cooked the vegetable, sautéed Rainbow Chard with onions. Excellent meal.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 lemons, sliced thin
3 Tablespoons Za’atar seasoning
3 Tablespoons olive oil
6 Garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds to garnish dish
- Pilaf
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and drained
3 cups water or chicken broth
2 cardamon pods, bruised
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon salted butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Directions
- Place the chicken in a lg bowl or bag and drizzle with oil, garlic and za’atar-rub well. In a roasting pan, add sliced lemon, sliced red onions and a good drizzle of olive oil. Nestle the chicken pieces and smashed garlic on top of the onions and lemons. Refrigerate for up to 6 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400. Place chicken in oven and roast for an 45 minutes. To crisp up skin, raise her to 425 for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cover with foil for 8 minutes
- Pilaf
- In a heavy pot, such as a small/medium Le Cruset Dutch Oven, melt the oil and butter together. Add the spices: cardamom pods , cinnamon stick and bak leaves. Let the flavors blend, add the rinsed and drained rice. Stir together for about 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes. Have the zest ready and once the rice is finished, quick add the zest. Reserve the juice to put on top before serving.
- Scoop the rice on a plate, place chicken on top and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and flaky salt.
- Serve with vegetable of choice.
