Riz bi Djaj

About This Recipe

Riz bi Djaj is Lebanon's beloved spiced rice and chicken dish. Fragrant with cinnamon, allspice, and seven-spice blend, the rice is cooked in rich chicken broth and topped with crispy toasted nuts. Every Lebanese grandmother makes it slightly differently, but the warming spices and fluffy saffron-hued rice are constants at family gatherings and celebrations.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 wholechicken, cut into pieces
• 2 cupslong-grain rice
• 1 tspLebanese seven-spice (baharat)
• 1 tspcinnamon
• 1 tspallspice
• 1/2 tspblack pepper
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 4 cupschicken broth
• 1/4 cuptoasted pine nuts
• 1/4 cuptoasted slivered almonds
• 2 tbspbutter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook chicken

   Season chicken with seven-spice, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pepper. Brown in oil over high heat. Add enough water to cover and simmer 30 minutes until cooked through. Reserve broth.

2. 2

   Cook rice

   Rinse rice. In a large pot, heat oil and toast rice 2 minutes. Add 4 cups of the reserved chicken broth. Bring to boil, reduce to low, cover and cook 20 minutes.

3. 3

   Toast nuts

   Melt butter and toast pine nuts and almonds until golden. Remove.

4. 4

   Assemble

   Place rice on a large serving platter, top with chicken pieces, and scatter toasted nuts over everything.

Variations

• •

  Add raisins for sweetness.

• •

  Use lamb instead of chicken.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of broth.

Frequently Asked Questions