Persian Chicken Stuffed With Rice Recipes

PERSIAN CHICKEN STUFFED WITH RICE

Steps:

• Clean and wash hens. Remove fatty portions and fat from cavity. Marinate 6 hours-overnight with a cup or so of apple juice and salt, cinnamon, cumin, onion and a little paprika (all to taste).
• Brown the onions and garlic in 1 tbs oil. Add the uncooked rice, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, rosewater, 1 tsp salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken broth, cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
• Add the barberries, almonds, raisins, and lime juice to the rice. Mix gently, and cook for several more minutes. Remove from heat. Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stuff the hens with the rice mixture, and tie the cavities shut. Rub each with 1 tsp salt, additional cinnamon, cumin, paprika and 1 tsp sugar.
• Place hens in a greased baking dish. Mix saffron (dissolved in hot water- optional) and about 1/4 cup apple juice, and pour over the chicken. Cover pan with foil.
• Place in the oven and roast for approximately 45 minutes, or until fully cooked and no longer pink. Baste occasionally.
• Garnish with lime slices and enjoy!

ASIAN RICE-STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cook the rice as the label directs. Transfer to a medium bowl. Toast the sesame seeds in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add to the rice.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil, then add the shallot, water chestnuts and ginger. Cook, stirring, until the shallot is tender and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add to the rice.
• Mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce with 1 teaspoon honey until smooth. Stir into the rice along with half the scallions; season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Halve each chicken breast horizontally, cutting three-quarters of the way through. Open the chicken like a book; season with salt and pepper. Divide the rice among the chicken, firmly pressing the mixture together on one side of each breast. Fold the chicken halves back together and secure with a few toothpicks. Rub with the remaining 1 teaspoon each soy sauce and honey; season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet. Drizzle with vegetable oil and roast until a thermometer inserted into the stuffing registers 165 degrees F, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the toothpicks and sprinkle the chicken with the remaining scallions.

CHELO KABOB (PERSIAN RICE WITH CHICKEN KABOB)

Steps:

• Combine chicken, diced onion, black pepper, salt, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon saffron, and cayenne in a bowl. Shape mixture into long, sausage-like kabob shapes, or shape around skewers and put aside in the refrigerator.
• Put the leftover saffron minus a pinch in 2 tablespoons warm water so that it lets out its color.
• Bring 3 cups water and cardamom pods to a boil; add rice, reduce heat, and let simmer until tender and water has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes, making sure not to overcook or undercook. Drain out any remaining starch water.
• Place a pot over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter, remaining turmeric, and reserved pinch of saffron; saute a bit then add the rice on top to dry out the excess water. Drizzle the saffron water on top and add 1 tablespoon butter. Cover and let simmer until the rice is fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Melt remaining butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry kabobs in the hot oil until they are no longer pink in the centers, 5 to 7 minutes, flipping as needed. Place tomatoes and chopped onion on top and cover. Cook until tomatoes soften and release their juices (this helps it from getting too dry), about 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

STUFFED ONIONS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Make a lengthwise cut into each onion from the top to root end, slicing only halfway through to the middle of the onion. (This will make it easier to separate the layers.) Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer briskly until the onions are softened through the middle and the layers separate easily, about 25 minutes. Transfer onions to a cutting board and let cool.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden, 6 to 7 minutes; transfer to a plate to cool. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
• In a small bowl, combine saffron and lemon juice, and let sit.
• Separate the onion layers until just the centers remain. (You may have to trim the root ends a bit more if the layers don't completely separate.) Cut the 2 largest outer layers from each onion in half for 12 equal pieces, then count out more of the inner layers for a total of 20 to 24 stuffed onions. (The number will vary depending on the size of onions.) Finely chop the remaining onion centers and any remaining onion layers to make 1 cup; a little less or more is OK.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a high-sided, 12-inch ovenproof skillet with a lid over medium. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 minutes. Stir in rice and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, and stir until evenly coated. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, saffron-lemon juice, cinnamon stick, cumin, cardamom and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over high, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until the liquid is just absorbed, about 3 minutes (rice will still be undercooked). Stir in toasted almonds, pistachios, raisins, cherries and parsley.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture in the center of each onion layer so that the onion loosely covers the filling. (Rice will expand; bundles should be partly open.) Scrape out and discard any remaining rice (or reserve for future use) and clean out the skillet.
• Coat the bottom of the skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and arrange onions seam side up in a single layer. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, season onions with salt and pepper, and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bring to a boil over high, cover tightly and transfer to the oven to bake until all the liquid has been absorbed, rice is cooked through and onions are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Garnish with parsley and drizzle with oil. Serve warm.