Middle Eastern Chicken and Rice

A close up look at a dish with yellow rice and chicken.

5 from 1 vote

Middle Eastern Chicken and Rice

Tender whole chicken with a special Middle Eastern marinade over a bed of fragrant delicious rice. A flavorful meal that your family and friends will appreciate.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Marinade2

Total Time3 30

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Middle East, Middle Eastern

Diet: Halal

Servings: servings

Calories: 687kcal

Author: Amira

Equipment

Deep mixing bowls
Oven safe dish

Ingredients

2-3 Cornish game hens

Chicken Brine

2 liters water
¼ cup white vinegar
1 lemon juiced
3 bay leaves
3 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tablespoon black peppercorn
2 Tablespoon sugar
⅓ cup Kosher salt

Chicken Marinade

3 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons pepper paste or harissa
½ cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves crushed
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar use any vinegar you like
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 chicken cube
2½ cups water
1 Tablespoon salt or to your liking
1 Tablspoon sumac
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon turmeric

For the vegetables

1.5 pounds baby potatoes
1 pound carrots cut into thick cubes
Pearl onions or shallots

For the rice

2 Tablespoons ghee unsalted butter or olive oil
1 dry lime loomi
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion diced
1 large carrot shredded about ¾ cup
1 Roma tomato grated about ¼ cup
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt or to liking
2 cups Basmati rice washed a couple of times and drained.
3 cups hot water

Instructions

In a deep bowl combine brine ingredients, add chicken, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from brine then pat dry.

Butterfly the chicken:

Place the chicken on a cutting board, so it's back is facing you. Using a kitchen sheer cut along each side of the spine to remove the backbone.
Lay the chicken flat, make a notch on the keel bone of the breast and a slit on either side of the cartilage then remove the bone entirely.
Cut small slits on the chicken legs.

Prepare the marinade:

In a deep bowl combine the marinade ingredients and whisk well.
Place chicken in and cover with marinade completely.
Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Cook the chicken:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place one rack in the middle and one at the bottom of your oven.
In a large oven dish, place vegetables at the bottom.
Place marinated chicken on top of vegetables and pour any excess marinade over.
Cover with parchment paper then foil.
Place on the lower rack of your oven for 30 minutes.
Uncover, baste with the marinade in the pan and cook for another 10-15 minutes until crispy and nicely brown.

For the rice:

In a pot over medium heat, melt ghee, then add dry lime, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Stir for a minute.
Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes then add carrots and cook for another minute.
Add grated tomatoes, spices and basmati rice. Stir everything well for another couple of minutes, then pour in hot water.
Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Let it simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is done.

To assemble:

Place rice on a large serving platter topped with chicken. Serve vegetables on the side.

Notes

When butterflying the chicken, freeze the bones that you take out for making stock later.
You can also swap out the 2 ½ cups of water and chicken cube for chicken stock in the marinade.
Chicken thighs can be used in place of Cornish game hens.
You can use ground cardamom in place of the cardamom pods, if you choose. 6 cardamom pods equal 1 teaspoon of ground. So in this recipe, you will need ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom in place of the 3 pods.
Please check the nutrition disclaimer policy.

Nutrition