Persian chicken pilaf
- Published: 9 Jun 17
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
The key to a perfect Persian pilaf is cooking the rice until it’s lightly spiced and fluffy then adding fresh herbs, pomegranate, raisins and chicken. Don’t forget to serve everyone some of the crust on the bottom – that’s the best bit!
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Serves 4 -
Hands-on time 25 min, simmering time 50 min, plus soaking
Nutrition
- Calories
- 618kcals
- Fat
- 22g (6.8g saturated)
- Protein
- 32.8g
- Carbohydrates
- 71.2g (20.5g sugars)
- Fibre
- 2g
- Salt
- 0.4g
delicious. tips
Cooking the rice slowly like this often creates a toasted crusty layer at the bottom of the pan – called ‘tahdig’ in Persian – which is the best bit.
Rice is easy to overcook so careful measurement is needed to make sure you don’t end up with a mush caused by cooking in too much liquid. The double-up method works every time: to cook rice for 4 people, weigh 250g rice and cook in 500g water (use a digital scale). It also helps to soak the rice in cold water first, then rinse under several changes of cold water to remove excess starch, which can cause the rice to stick.