Us Arabs love entertaining. This is something I cook all the time—my go-to entertaining dish: Lebanese chicken and rice. I love it for its simplicity, and I can prep it ahead of time. It’s easy to put together and generous to serve. You’ll love it.
Ingredients:
For the rice & nuts
1⁄4 cup olive oil (plus extra if needed)
1⁄3 cup pine nuts
1⁄3 cup slivered almonds
2 onions, diced
500 grams lamb mince
2 cups basmati rice, washed
1 1⁄2 tablespoons bharat (7-spice/5-spice/or allspice blend)
1 1⁄2 tablespoons Vegeta (or salt, to taste)
2 1⁄2–3 cups chicken stock (from below)
For the stock
1 whole chicken whole or halved
1–2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to season
1 teaspoon baharat
1 onion cut into ¼’s
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
A small handful of parsley stalks/sprigs
1 cinnamon stick
3–4 whole cloves
4–6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1⁄2 teaspoon black peppercorns
water
To Garnish
Chopped flat-leaf parsley
Pomegranate seeds if available
Full Recipe Here: https://roubashahin.com.au/recipes/lebanese-chicken-and-rice/
Us Arabs love entertaining and we are so damn good at it. Lebanese chicken and rice simmered in a dark stock topped with chunky chicken and toasted nuts. The kind of dish you bring out when entertaining. You can prep it ahead and it always feels generous on the table. The stock is everything. Make sure you fry the chicken and use the part spice. Then the rice. Mine’s a little different. I fry the nuts first and use that nut oil for the base. That’s where the flavor starts. Simple rice, onion, lamb parat. This is one of the first dishes we learned to make because we love to feed and host people. When serving, keep the chicken chunky. Pile it on top. Scatter over the toasted nuts, pomegranates, too, if you have them. A true centerpiece for any table. Enjoy.
Dining and Cooking