Chicken Pilaf
Very subtly different from the Biryani is a Pilaf/Pulao. While Biryani is a rich, exotic delicacy created & served with a regal fervor; redolent with beautiful spices & packed the wonderful & unforgettable flavors, lip smacking goodness & heart warming memories – the Pilaf/Pulao is a more simple version of this royal dish.
If I could, I would cook up Biryani every single day (and of course eat it). Well all wishes don’t come true & often times it is better to resign to more uncomplicated taste & endeavor. Here comes the Chicken Pilaf; very easily made, no pre cooking the rice & meat, no careful layering, no “dum” or “steaming” as in Biryani. It is a very beautiful one pot meal, equally exotic with rich blend & flavors of spices as the Biryani (may be not quite:-D ); something I readily make over a relaxing weekend when the heart craves some goodies but the body screams “no work please” – & serve it with some fresh salad/cucumber & yogurt.
Chicken Pilaf
Ingredients: (Serves 4-5)
- 2 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast, cut into 1″ pieces (Use Soy Chunks or Mushroom or Paneer/Indian Cheese for a Vegetarian Version)
- Few small potatoes, halved (Optional)
- 1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt or any thick Plain Yogurt
- 1 Very Large Onion, sliced into half moons + 1 Large Onion, sliced into thin half moons (For caramelizing & garnish)
- 2 Tablespoon grated Ginger or ginger paste
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic paste
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 3/4 Cup Fresh Mint
- 2″ Stick of Cinnamon
- 3–4 Green Cardamom pods, bruised (The big black ones may be used too)
- Freshly ground Black Pepper
- 3-4 Cloves
- 1/4 Teaspoon Saffron threads
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- 1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
- 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter/Ghee or Oil (Ghee or butter makes the dish more fragrant) + 1 Tablespoon Oil
- 2 Cups Basmati rice
- 3/4 Cup Almonds (Soaked overnight & peeled)
- Salt & Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
- 4.5 – 5 Cups Water
Note: You will see unpeeled almonds in the pilaf I made. It was unplanned & I did not have time to soak & peel, so we just peeled them while we ate:-D. But if you are making the pilaf please do soak & peel the almonds!
Preparation:
Marinate the chicken pieces in the yogurt, lemon, salt, ginger paste & garlic paste for about an hour.Soak the saffron threads in warm milk.
Wash the Basmati rice till the water runs clear. Keep it soaked in water for 45 minutes to an hour. Drain & set aside.
Over medium heat, in a large pan with a lid, heat the Cinnamon, Cardamom & Cloves till fragrant. You cannot miss the aroma.
Melt the butter/ghee/oil in the same pan along with the above spices. Add the sliced onions (only 1 sliced onion, save the other one) & fry till the onions start to brown.
Separate as much marinade from the chicken as possible. Save the marinade & add the chicken pieces to the pan; Toss well along with the spices & onions & fry till you see brown spots on the chicken; Add the potatoes (if you are using them), rice & the almonds, stirring so the ghee/fat coats the rice, until glossy, for about 3-4 minutes.
Pour in the saffron & the milk; add the turmeric, black pepper, orange zest, mint leaves, salt & black pepper & stir everything together.
Combine the saved marinade with warm water, & whisk it so it is evenly mixed. Pour the water in the pan, stir everything together and bring it to a boil, then close the pan with a heavy lid and turn the heat down to very low. Cook like this for about 10–12 minutes, by which time the rice should have absorbed the liquid and be cooked through. Don’t peek.After about 12 minutes open the lid, & check to see if the rice is cooked. It is okay if the rice is slightly stiff, cover it back & switch off the heat. The heat & the steam will cook the rice & the chicken.
While the rice is cooking, in a skillet heat the rest of the oil & add the rest of the onion & sugar & fry the onions till they are brown & caramelized. Add the caramelized onions to the pan, gently stir them in taking care not to mush up the rice. Cover it back & let it sit for at least 15 minutes for the flavors to infuse. (The caramelized onions imparts a fabulous aroma to the pilaf).
For Vegetarian Options: Use Chickpeas, Vegetables, Paneer or Soy Chunks instead of meat. The rest of the procedure of cooking will be same.
Serve with a salad & some yogurt on the side.
Did I say that every time I make this Pilaf, the family sniffs the air & will come & hover around the kitchen, waiting for it to be done, waiting to eat. Yes it is that fragrant, the kind where the tantalizing aroma fills the entire house & teases you.
Related Posts:
Toasted Sesame & Shrimp Fried Rice
Black Rice Risotto with Truffle Oil
Tags: basmati rice, biryani, biryani without layer, caramelized onion with rice, caramelized onions, Cardamom, chicken & rice, chicken & rice recipe, chicken & spices, chicken pulao, chicken with rice, Cinnamon, cooking rice with chicken, ghee, healthy comfort food, healthy meal, how to make pilaf, one pot chicken pilaf, one pot meal, pilaf recipe, pilaff, pilau, pilav, plov, polao, potato, pulao, quick biryani, recipe, spices, spices & rice
October 12th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Love it.Wish i could make & eat it right now…..my favourite part caramalized onions…i just eat them like that…
October 12th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Woah..this is a rare post or what..mebe after a long time ..chicken pilaf at its best Soma..looks exotic..:)
October 12th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
So tasty looking! Perfect!
Cheers,
Rosa
October 12th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Soma, I love the flavors in that rice recipe. What an amazing combination
October 12th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
That looks great, sounds great and I bet it tasted like a piece of heaven.
I love that you gave the vegetarian option. I’ll have to note that one!
October 12th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Yum yum soma…. you make me hungry & it’s 3:43 am here
Will definitely try it
I have a question: Do you used black or green cardamom???
Dear Zainab,
I have used the small green ones here. Thanks for pointing that out. I will update the post. But in other time I have used the big black ones too or both.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Soma, this is absolutely amazing! Your photos look so professional! I have to add it to my must try list. Thank you.
October 12th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
The chicken pilaf looks fantastic! All the spices sound wonderful and I can just imagine the delicious aroma of this dish!
October 12th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Ami nijer jonne chicken banale erokom e banai Soma … ki easy na! Tobe ami boneless use kori na … ar tai jonne kokhono bhalo snap tulte pari na. Bhaja peyaj diye darun dekhacche!
I love the flavour the green cardamom gives.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
I am vegetarian but I can say..your pilaf look so beautiful and inviting.
October 12th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Pulav really looks amazing and yummmmyyy!! I just love all spices, nuts in it.
October 12th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Wow…its really mouthwatering….i must try today!!!!!
October 12th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
now, you are making food look gorgeous
The last picture is surreal! And orange zest in a pilaf…that must taste…so different.
October 12th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
This sounds wonderful. We are mostly eating chicken and rarely any other meat so this is something we will all love. Greek yoghurt is really good withany kind of pilaf/rice dish.
October 12th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
soma this looks sensational. lovely flavors!
October 13th, 2009 at 4:49 am
Soma, absolutely biryani every day
This pilaf stands on its own. And the pictures are stunningly beautiful (have you considered food styling as a profession?)
The whole almonds make it all the more attractive.
October 13th, 2009 at 5:21 am
That’s an aromatic and flavourful pilaf……looks drool worthy….
October 13th, 2009 at 5:47 am
Soma
This pulao looks and sounds(with the ingred list) more exotic than a biryani. Loved it and orage zest, never used that in a pulao, shall do
October 13th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Soma , I am drooling , who doesnt love biryani and pilaf, they are a regular in my house .. remember we belong to the land of nawabs
. Hope you are doing fine.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Even I can sniff here Soma
Gal u make me hungry !
October 13th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Soma, the pictures are just beautiful. Love the color combination and the contrasts. Hope you are feeling better.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Just love it…its raining here in Berkeley…and I have all the ingredients for this recipie at home …..am gonna make this for dinner today !!
Thanks for making my day.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Wow, love rice dishes…and this one is a winner…almonds in it…looks delicious!
October 13th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Looks amazing soma… now I am craving some.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
I’ve never seen a rice pilaf like this! I can see why your family would be waiting for it to finish. It is just loaded with lovely flavors and ingredients. I love it!
October 13th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
those caramelized onions always beckon me! yummm
October 13th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Food Shout Out, Soma Rathore. Soma Rathore said: Chicken & Almond Pilaf – new blog post http://bit.ly/1xtrAO [...]
October 14th, 2009 at 2:52 am
Looks absolutely delicious! what a work of art!
October 14th, 2009 at 3:16 am
I think I’d love to make this SOON! It’s calling my name…
October 14th, 2009 at 7:22 am
That’s a beautiful dish, and the spices sound delicious! The almonds look great in this too.
October 14th, 2009 at 10:11 am
oh my!! i love the beautiful color and sound terrific!! am sure gonna try this out! thanx for sharing!
cheers!
October 14th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Interesting. I always thought of pilaf as a bland “poor” distant cousin of a biriyani. Your dish has elavated its status in my mind to biriyani’s nouveau riche step-brother.
October 14th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Just in case you don’t know – you’re an amazing cook!
October 15th, 2009 at 9:27 am
I make a similar pilaf with paneer and almonds. Your pictures are getting gorgeous by the day! Such a pleasure to drop by at ecurry.
October 19th, 2009 at 2:56 am
wow ..what a pilaf dearie..colorful and making me drool..real taste..
May 16th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
This was such a beautiful pilaf which had mild, delicate flavours but was rich and satisfying all at once. We loved it! I served with yoghurt and kachoombar salad and everyone went back for seconds. I used slivered almonds as that was what I had on hand and toasted them to really bring out the almond flavour. I used probably 2tsp of salt altogether. The caramelized onions at the end are really what makes this dish fantastic! Thanks for a great recipe, I look forward to trying others from you as well.
So happy that you liked it
Thank you very much for taking your time and letting me know that you have tried it out.
Cheers
Soma
June 27th, 2010 at 6:16 am
Wow !!! I love Chicken Biryani and so does my husband… this is a regular once-in-a-month dish I prepare for my family… here’s the customized tried and tested recipe I use to cook Chicken Biryani:
http://www.bestofkanchan.com/indian-recipes/chicken-biryani-with-egg/
-Kanchan