This Easy Chicken Pilau Recipe or Chicken Pulao / Pilaf is an incredibly delicious one-pot chicken and rice dish that is wonderfully fragrant and comforting. The rice is aromatic and fluffy, with perfectly separated grains, and the chicken is beautifully spiced and juicy. A great weeknight dinner that goes down well with the whole family.
You can never go wrong with chicken and rice, and if you like dishes with a spiced and spicy kick, this chicken pilau is the right recipe for you. Plus, it's a one-pot dinner, which means little effort and prep, and minimal cleaning afterwards.
Does this sound too good to be true? It's actually as delicious as it looks, and it can easily rival any dish you may get from an Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant. It's the kind of dish that you'll want on repeat every single week!
This chicken pilau is inspired by my Beef Pilau, which uses steak and potatoes for a hearty and comforting meal, and my Rice Pilau, which is a fantastic side dish to go with any meat or meat alternative.
It is also similar to my Chicken Kabsa, which is a very popular Middle Eastern dish, and it uses similar spices to bring out the best flavours. Another similar recipe is my Chicken Biryani, although the technique is quite different.
Don't be intimidated by the list of spices you need for this recipe, once you buy them, they will last for a long time, and you can make this dish again and again, and you'll end up with a budget-friendly dish that everybody loves.
It's a perfect dish for easy family dinners or special occasions when you want to impress your guests with an exotic, yet comforting dish that can be enjoyed all year round.
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview
- chicken - I used chicken breasts cut into chunks, but you can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into pieces, or bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, or chicken drumsticks
- rice - I used basmati rice, and the amount of liquid used will need to be adjusted if you use other kind of rice
- chicken stock - or chicken broth - I like using Knorr chicken stock pots which is disolved with hot water, you can use homemade stock or any other store-bought stock
- onion - I used a large red onion, but regular onion or shallots can be used too
- garlic - fresh garlic works incredibly well here, but you can also use paste
- ginger - I only have ginger puree, but fresh ginger works too
- tomato paste - for a touch of sweetness and colour
- parsley - to garnish, you can also use fresh coriander / cilantro
- seasoning - salt and pepper to taste
- spices - whole cloves, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaves, chilli powder
Easy swaps
You can swap the chicken for other meats, but the cooking time will vary greatly - if you use steak, that will cook really quickly, but stewing beef will take a lot longer to cook and will require liquid added to it, so that would be a completely different recipe.
Or you can use leftover chicken, beef, pork or lamb - you will just skip the cooking the meat part, and go straight to cooking the onions.
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- start by toasting the spices: heat up a pan on a medium heat, add the cinnamon stick, whole cloves, cardamom pods, cumin seeds, star anise and coriander seeds
- toast them for 1 minute until they release their fragrance
- add them to a spice gringer and blend to a powder
- in a large pot, heat up the oil, add the chicken chunks, season them with salt and pepper, and fry the chicken on both sides until it's golden
- remove the chicken from the pan, add the onion cut julienne, and fry it until it caramelizes
- add the ginger paste and chopped garlic, and fry them for 30 seconds until they release their flavour
- add the chicken back to the pan, the rinsed and soaked rice, tomato paste, bay leaves and pour over the stock
- place a lid on the pan, and leave it to cook on a medium heat until all the liquid has been absorbed
- remove the pan from the pan, but keep the lid on for 10 minutes
- after the 10 minutes, use a fork to fluffy up the rice
- garnish with fresh parsley
Expert tips
It is crucial to respect the rice to liquid ratio if you want to get perfectly fluffy rice with separated grains.
Too much liquid, and the rice will become mushy by the time the liquid is absorbed. To little, and the rice won't be cooked well.
You also have to leave the lid on all the time when the dish is cooking, so the steam can be trapped in the pot and cook the rice well - do not take the lid off once the liquid is absorbed.
Just leave the lid on for 10 minutes, the rice will become so fluffy, you will not believe how good it is! If you double up the ingredients to make a dish that feeds extra people, make sure to respect the rice: liquid ratio.
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Easy Chicken Pilau Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
- 270 g basmati rice
- 500 ml chicken stock (broth)
- 1 large red onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon ginger puree
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 5 cardamom pods 1
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
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Instructions
- Start by rinsing the rice under cold water until the water runs clear, and leave the rice to soak covered in plenty of water.
- Set a frying pan over a medium heat.
- Add the cumin seeds, whole cloves, cardamom pods, coriander seeds, star anise and cinnamon stick and toast them for 1 minute.
- Once they are toasted, add them to a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and grind them into a powder.
- In a large pot, add the oil and heat it up over a medium heat.
- Add the chicken chunks, season them with salt and pepper, and fry them on both sides until cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Peel and chop the onion julienne, and fry it in the same pan that the chicken was cooked until it starts to caramelise.
- Add the ginger puree and peeled and chopped garlic, and fry them for 30 seconds.
- Add the ground spices, chilli powder, tomato puree and bay leaves, and mix well.
- Return the chicken to the pan, add the soaked rice and give it a good stir.
- Cover the rice with the chicken stock, and place a lid on the pan.
- Cook it until all the liquid is evaporated.
- Remove the pan from the heat, but keep the lid on for 10 minutes.
- After the 10 minutes, use a fork to fluffy the rice up.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Toasting the spices helps release fantastic flavours, that's a step I highly recommend, it will make all the difference.
- It is crucial to respect the rice to liquid ratio if you want to get perfectly fluffy rice with separated grains.
- Too much liquid, and the rice will become mushy by the time the liquid is absorbed. To little, and the rice won't be cooked well.
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