Biryani, Pulao, Fried rice of any kind is our special meal and brings out the nostalgia in me. Our Sunday meals had biryani as the star, and mom made one of the best biryani ever. Now, my boys are big fans of biryani or pulao of any kind, always with chicken. This recipe Saffron Chicken Rice is inspired by Turkish pulao, and it’s something I make few times a month, especially during a weeknight. My goal here was to simplify one of my fave long process multi step meal, into a quick one pot quick meal, still using fresh ingredients. Few ingredients, and big bold flavors. I’ve used Maras Chile flakes, a good dose of not-so-humble saffron and wild black cumin seeds. Mission accomplished with this dish. Simple ingredients, chicken broth, spices from Spice Tribe and usual suspects like onion and garlic come together to create a truly heavenly chicken and rice.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

Spice Mixture

• 1/4 tsp Super Negin Saffron
• 1 tsp Maras Chile Flakes
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp flaky salt

Making of the Rice

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into one inch pieces
• 2 tbsp light flavored oil + 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp raw black cumin seeds/kali jeera
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 cup fried crispy onions
• Bouquet garni of 1 star anise, 4 cardamom, 5 cloves, ½ inch cinnamom
• 1 cup rice, short grain or basmati (washed and soaked for 15 minutes)
• Cilantro for garnish

Add All Products

Directions

1. Mix the spices together and set aside.
2. In a large pan, add oil and toss in the chicken, don’t move it around for a minute. Sprinkle all the spices and then saute it well and brown all the sides. Cook it about fifty percent and remove it in a bowl.
3. In the same pan, add another 2 tbsp oil, black cumin seeds and saute. Throw in the onion and garlic, saute it on low to medium heat for about a minute until the onions are soft. Add the chicken back in, the stock and the bouquet garni in the middle. Check for salt. Add half the fried onions, carefully add rice, toss in the remaining fried onions. Let it come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat completely, cover and put in on simmer for about 20 minutes. At this point you can keep the pan on dum over another griddle so the bottom doesn’t scorch. Use a very tight lid, and use a kitchen towel to cover if you steam releasing out of the pan.
4. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let it rest for another 15 minutes before serving.