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.
Serves 6
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.
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.
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.
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.
Homemade broth from the simmered chicken is the soul of this dish — never swap it for water if you can help it.
A pinch of turmeric or a cinnamon stick in the rice pot gives the grains a warm golden hue and extra fragrance.
Resting the rice covered for 5 minutes off the heat lets the steam finish the top layer and prevents gummy patches.
For crispier chicken, shred or halve the simmered pieces and run them under a hot broiler for 5 minutes before plating.
Serve with plain yogurt or a cucumber-yogurt salad — the cool dairy against the warm spices is the classic pairing.
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.
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.
Riz bi Djaj belongs to a wide family of Levantine spiced rice-and-meat dishes that trace back to medieval Arab cookery, where rice perfumed with cinnamon and topped with nuts marked a dish as celebratory. In Lebanon it became the default festive centerpiece — served at weddings, Eid, Christmas, and big Sunday lunches alike, crossing the country's communities. Every family adjusts the spice ratio slightly, and arguments over whose grandmother makes it best are a national pastime.
Lebanese seven-spice (sabaa baharat) is a warm blend typically built on allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, cloves, and nutmeg, though exact ratios vary by brand and family. It is the workhorse seasoning of Lebanese meat dishes. If you cannot find it, mix equal parts allspice and cinnamon with smaller pinches of the others.
Absolutely — bone-in, skin-on thighs are actually a forgiving choice because they stay juicy through the simmer and give a rich broth. Use about 1.2 kg of thighs, brown them well, and simmer 25–30 minutes. Boneless breasts work in a pinch but give a thinner broth and dry out faster.
Usually one of three things: the rice was not rinsed (surface starch turns gluey), the broth ratio was too generous, or the lid came off during cooking and the heat was raised to compensate. Rinse thoroughly, stick to 2 cups broth per cup of rice, keep the heat at its lowest, and rest the pot 5 minutes before fluffing.
Yes — this dish scales and holds well. Cook the chicken and broth a day ahead and refrigerate; the flavor deepens overnight. Cook the rice fresh the day of serving, reheat the chicken in a little broth, and toast the nuts last. Assemble on the platter just before guests sit down.
Per serving (400g / 14.1 oz) · 6 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes
Have feedback or need help?
We read every email and reply within 1–2 business days.
© 2026 MyCookingCalendar. All rights reserved.
