Lebanese Rice with Chicken
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Prep Time15 mins
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Cook Time90 mins
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Serving4
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Ready In95 mins
This delicious Lebanese rice with chicken dish known as roz a djej in Arabic, is served at every large family gathering, party, and holiday dinner (Even Thanksgiving!). The warm spices with ground beef and rice make it the perfect rice dish to be served alongside rotisserie chickens, a large turkey, roast beef or any other main protein.
You will find some people refer to this Lebanese rice with chicken dish as โHashwehโ which literally translates to โstuffing.โ This is because, this rice is often stuffed into a chicken (or turkey on Thanksgiving or Christmas). It truly is a staple of Middle-Eastern cuisine. My very first โRamadan Seriesโ cannot be completed without this rice recipe.
Chicken
This Lebanese rice with chicken dish is very versatile when it comes to the chicken part. Typically, a whole chicken is boiled for the broth. Legs, thighs, and wings are a lot fattier than chicken breast alone, making the homemade stock much more flavorful. However, feel free to boil about 2-3 pounds of chicken breasts or thighs in place of the whole chicken.
If you are making this rice as a side dish, skip the chicken steps all together and use whatever chicken broth you have on hand (packaged, homemade, or 2 bouillon cubes and water). Sometimes I will shred the chicken into large chunks and serve on top of the rice. Another way to serve, is to serve the chicken on the side in a separate dish.
What kind of rice is used in Roz a djej
As for the rice, basmati rice works wonderfully in this recipe, as would any other long grain rice. I happened to use Uncle Bens parboiled rice this time, just because I love the texture of it. The ratio of rice to broth is about 1.5 cups of broth for every 1 cup of rice. However, I do feel like basmati rice may need a little bit more at times. You can easily double or even triple the servings for larger gatherings.
Roz a djej is topped with delicious fried nuts. You can use whatever nuts you have on hand including raw cashews, slivered or sliced almonds, and pine nuts. If you’d like to go a healthier route, you can dry roast the nuts in a dry skillet or in the oven for a few minutes until golden brown.
Serve this rice dish as a main dish with a side salad such as fattoush, or laban wa khyar. Both are the perfect compliment to the rice.
STEP 1
STEP 2
When the chicken comes to a boil, skim any fat that rises to the top.
Peel and cut the small onion in half and place in the pot along with the bay leaves and cloves.
Cover halfway and let simmer on medium-high heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour.
STEP 3
Remove the cooked chicken and set aside to cool. Once it has cooled enough to handle, shred the breasts into course chunks.
STEP 4
Place the cooked chicken legs and wings on a baking pan and broil until golden brown and crispy on top. (This step is optional, you can shred these parts of the chicken with the breast if you prefer.)
STEP 5
Add the vegetable oil to a pan and heat for 1-2 minutes on medium-high.
Add the almonds and cook for 2-3 minutes, constantly mixing until golden brown.
Repeat with remaining nuts and set aside.
STEP 6
Rinse the rice 3 times or until the water runs clear. Drain the water and set aside.
STEP 7
In a medium pot, add the ground beef and cook on medium heat until fully browned.
Add the butter, salt, pepper, 7 spices and ground cinnamon and sautรฉ for a few minutes.
STEP 8
Add the washed rice in with the ground beef mixture and mix well. Measure 2 ยผ cups of the fresh chicken stock you made earlier, and pour into the pot of rice.
Cook on medium-high heat until the rice comes to a boil then, lower the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid.
Cook for 15 minutes until all the stock is absorbed.
STEP 9
Empty the rice into a large serving platter. Sprinkle the nuts on top and shredded chicken. Serve with a side salad like fattoush or plain yogurt.
Lebanese Rice with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Ground Beef
- 1ยฝ cup White Rice
- 3 tb. Butter
- 2 tsp. Seven Spices
- ยฝ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp. Salt
- ยฝ tsp. Black Pepper
- ยผ cup Slivered Almonds or almond halves
- ยผ cup Halved Cashews
- 3 tb. Pine Nuts
- 2 tb. Vegetable Oil
Boiled Chicken
- 1 Whole Chicken or chicken breasts/thighs
- 2 Bay Leaves
- ยฝ Small Onion
- 2 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Whole Cloves
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your chicken. Remove the neck and giblets and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. In a large stockpot, place the whole chicken and pour enough water to cover it completely. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the chicken comes to a boil, skim any fat that rises to the top. Peel and cut the small onion in half and place in the pot along with the bay leaves and cloves. Cover halfway and let simmer on medium-high heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour.
- Remove the cooked chicken and set aside to cool. Once it has cooled enough to handle, shred the breasts into course chunks.
- Place the cooked chicken legs and wings on a baking pan and broil until golden brown and crispy on top. (This step is optional, you can shred these parts of the chicken with the breast if you prefer.)
- Add the vegetable oil to a pan and heat for 1-2 minutes on medium-high. Add the almonds and cook for 2-3 minutes, constantly mixing until golden brown. Repeat with remaining nuts and set aside.
- Rinse the rice 3 times or until the water runs clear. Drain the water and set aside.
- In a medium pot, add the ground beef and cook on medium heat until fully browned. Add the butter, salt, pepper, 7 spices and ground cinnamon and sautรฉ for a few minutes.
- Add the washed rice in with the ground beef mixture and mix well. Measure 2 ยผ cups of the fresh chicken stock you made earlier, and pour into the pot of rice. Cook on medium-high heat until the rice comes to a boil then, lower the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes until all the stock is absorbed.
- Empty the rice into a large serving platter. Sprinkle the nuts on top and shredded chicken. Serve with a side salad like fattoush or plain yogurt.
Nutrition
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