Chicken and Jeweled Rice

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

Chicken and Jeweled Rice This has always been one of my favourite Persian dishes. It is very common to serve it for celebrations and weddings. Full of raisins, berries and nuts, you'll experience a beautiful texture that goes great with the chicken and rice. Your bellies and eyes will love this exotic treat!

*I soak my rice for optimal fluff and nutrition, but if you're not used to it or are pressed for time, just cook as you normally would.

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 4 servings

Source: My family recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati or long grain rice
2 chicken breasts
1 medium onion, sliced
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup raisins (Thompson and Golden, mixed)
1 cup cranberries or craisins
1 cup barberries (if you can't find them, use more cranberries and raisins)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 tsp ground saffron
3 Tbsp hot water

Steps:

Rinse your rice. Soak for 30 to 90 minutes. Begin cooking in fresh water.

In a pot, add your chicken and sliced onions and slightly cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover, simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, until thoroughly cooked.

If you're using barberries, wash them in water and drain several times over.

Melt butter in cooking oil. Add cranberries, raisins, and then barberries.

When they're all covered with oil, add sugar and mix well. Add 1 tablespoon of water in order to make sure the sugar won't crystalize. Keep stirring as you cook for several minutes, until they plump up. Remove from heat.

Dissolve saffron in hot water.

In a pan, heat up the slivered almonds in a little oil. Add 1 tablespoon of the saffron water. Mix until almonds are covered. Remove from heat.

Tear up the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and pour on the remaining saffron water.

Put the cooked rice on a platter (or individual plates), topped with the almonds, berries and raisins, and saffron chicken. Enjoy!

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