Rice Pilaf with Chicken Legs - Yemeni Mandi Recipe
Chicken Budget Recipes Meat Dishes Rice Arabic
The ideal recipe for a weekend lunch that brings a touch of the Orient to your home. Inspired by Arabic cuisine, the combination of spices transforms ordinary chicken legs and a bit of rice into a dish with rich taste and intense aroma.
Ingredients
Chicken Legs
2 kg chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs, bone-in)
1 medium onion
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
5 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons Mandi spice blend (recipe below)
2 tablespoons oil
6 cups water
salt
Rice Pilaf
300 g basmati rice
1 medium onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper (use only 1/2 if you don't want the pilaf very spicy)
1 teaspoon grated ginger paste
1 teaspoon crushed garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
1 tablespoon Mandi spice blend
2 tablespoons oil
salt, black pepper
Mandi Spice Blend
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 bay leaf torn into small pieces
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground green cardamom
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Servings: 5-6
Calories: 694 kcal / serving (out of 6 total)
Protein: 60 g / serving
How to prepare rice pilaf with chicken legs - yemeni mandi recipe
- Prepare the Mandi spice blend by mixing the ingredients in a cup.
- In a large pot, heat the oil and sauté the onion cut into 4 pieces for a few minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of Mandi spice blend and ground coriander and stir to dissolve in the fat.
- Add the chicken pieces and the remaining whole spices (bay leaf, cloves, cardamom) and water (just enough to cover the chicken perfectly). Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. Towards the end, taste for salt and add more until pleasantly seasoned.
- Remove the chicken from the broth with a slotted spoon, drain well, and place the chicken pieces in a large oven-safe baking dish. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of Mandi spice blend and mix to coat evenly.
- Put the baking dish in the oven on the grill/broil setting (at 220°C) and leave the meat just until it browns nicely (about 10-15 minutes). During this time, watch it constantly so it doesn't burn.
- This is an optional step: if you have a smoker oven (or any other type of smoker), transfer the tray with browned chicken legs to that oven and let them smoke for 10 minutes at the lowest temperature your oven allows.
- Strain the chicken broth remaining in the pot and measure out 1250 g.
- In a wide pan (I used a 35 cm diameter paella pan), heat the oil for the pilaf. Add the onion and peppers cut into small cubes. Sauté the vegetables over low heat just until softened (about 5-10 minutes).
- Add the ginger and crushed garlic and sauté for another minute. Add 1 tablespoon of Mandi spice blend and stir.
- Pour in the seasoned chicken broth and bring to a boil. At that moment, pour the rice over the entire surface of the pan in as even a layer as possible, then shake the pan to settle it well. Sprinkle with a little more salt.
- When the contents of the pan start boiling again, leave it like that for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently for another 15 minutes.
- When the rice is done, cover the pan with aluminum foil for 10 minutes. When serving, remove the foil from the pan and place the chicken legs on top. It's delicious immediately. It can be reheated, the rice will remain separate grain by grain.
