One-pot Balkan Chicken & Rice
This is a convenient, money and effort saving recipe for chicken and rice. The dish always comes out delicious, with beautiful buttery flavours and hint of garlic and spearmint. It’s an easy hearty meal that can feed a larger family.
Equipment
- 1 large stockpot or multifunction cooker if you are making the stock
- 1 Medium size oven dish
Ingredients
For the Chicken stock
- 1.5 kg chicken carcass and wings whole
- 2.5 litres water
- 1 onion halved
- 1 carrot whole
- 1 celery stick whole
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 peppercorns whole
For the Chicken and Rice
- 6 portions chicken
- 1 onion chopped finely
- 3 garlic cloves chopped finely
- 1 small carrot cut into small cubes
- 1/2 sweet yellow pepper chopped into small cubes
- 1 handfull fresh green peas
- 2 cups rice washed
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup mint chopped
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 40 g butter cut into medium size cubes
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Instructions
- To prepare the stock at home, cut the chicken into individual portions and separate the carcass with the backbone of the chicken. Place the carcass into a large stockpot.Add all ingredients for the stock. Bring the water to the boil. When the water starts boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the scan forming on the surface. Alternatively, make the stock in your multifunction cooker on the soup setting. That takes only 20 minutes.You can drop the chicken in your stockpot to partook it or do that in your multifunction cooker when the stock is ready. That will ensure the chicken is moist in the final dish.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C /356°F degrees.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to an oven dish and heat the oil in the oven. Add the chopped onion to the dish and let it sauté for a few of minutes in the oven until it’s translucent. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the diced carrot and pepper to the oven dish and sauté for a couple of minutes in the oven.
- Rince the rice, pat it dry and add it to the oven dish. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until translucent. Sprinkle sweet paprika over the rice, stir it and and sauté the rice with the paprika for 30-40 seconds.
- Sprinkle a handful of fresh garden peas, and stir them with the rice. Arrange the raw or par-cooked chicken pieces in the oven dish and push them to sink in the rice. Pour the chicken stock over the rice.
- Cut the butter into cubes and arrange it over the rice. Distribute the pieces of the butter evenly in the oven dish. Cook in the middle of the hot oven for 40 minutes.
- When ready, take the oven dish out of the oven, cover it with a tea towel and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Plate and sprinkle cracked black pepper and fresh mint over the individual portions. Serve with fresh salad on the side.