Riz bi Djaj

About This Recipe

Riz bi Djaj — literally rice with chicken — is the dish Lebanese families gather around on Sundays and serve proudly at holidays and large lunches. It looks simple on the platter, but the flavor is layered: chicken is simmered with warm spices to make a rich broth, the rice is then cooked in that same broth so every grain carries cinnamon, allspice, and seven-spice, and the whole thing is crowned with butter-toasted pine nuts and almonds. The genius of the dish is economy — one chicken provides the meat, the broth, and the seasoning backbone. This version keeps the rice fluffy rather than sticky by toasting it briefly in oil before adding broth, a step many home cooks swear by for distinct, fragrant grains.

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

   Rub the chicken pieces all over with seven-spice, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pepper. Brown them in hot oil over high heat, 3–4 minutes per side, until deeply golden — this fond flavors the broth. Cover with water, skim any foam, and simmer gently for 30 minutes until cooked through. Strain and reserve the broth.

   Skim the foam in the first 10 minutes of simmering for a clear, clean-tasting broth.

2. 2

   Cook rice

   Rinse the rice until the water runs nearly clear, then drain well. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and toast the rice for 2 minutes, stirring, until the grains turn opaque and smell faintly nutty. Add 4 cups of the hot reserved broth, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.

3. 3

   Toast nuts

   While the rice cooks, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts and almonds and stir constantly for 2–3 minutes until evenly golden — they go from perfect to burnt in seconds, so pull them the moment they color. Drain on paper towels.

   Toast pine nuts and almonds separately if your almonds are thicker — they brown at different rates.

4. 4

   Assemble

   Let the rice rest off the heat for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Mound it onto a large warmed platter, arrange the chicken pieces on top — pulled into large chunks or left whole — and shower the toasted nuts over everything just before serving so they stay crisp.

Variations

• •

  Hashweh-style: brown 200g ground beef with the spices and fold it through the rice for the festive stuffing-rice version.

• •

  Lamb riz bi djaj: replace chicken with lamb shoulder chunks and extend the simmer to about 90 minutes.

• •

  Add a handful of golden raisins to the rice in the last 5 minutes for a sweet counterpoint to the spices.

• •

  Vermicelli rice base: toast a handful of broken vermicelli in the oil before the rice for the classic riz bi sha'rieh texture.

Storage

Refrigerate rice and chicken together in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat covered with a splash of broth or water so the rice steams back to life. Freeze portions for up to 2 months, storing the nuts separately so they stay crunchy.

Frequently Asked Questions