It’s hard to resist the sweet and juicy taste of Persian Chicken Pilaf. The dried apricots or prunes become natural sweeteners for this wonderful chicken recipe.
Sweet and Juicy Persian Chicken Pilaf
Ingredients:
2 Medium onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon Ground cumin
1 teaspoon Saffron strands
2 tablespoon Raisins
1 tablespoon Tomato puree
2 tablespoon Freshly chopped mint or parsley
3 tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 1/2 pints Chicken stock
3 1/2 fl oz Pomegranate juice
7 oz Long-grain white rice
4 oz Ready-to-eat dried apricots or prunes, halved
1 1/2 lb Boneless skinless chicken pieces (breast and thighs), cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pomegranate seeds, to garnish (optional)
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat. Cook the chicken pieces, in batches, until lightly browned. Return all the browned chicken to the saucepan.
Add the onions to the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften. Add the cumin and rice and stir to coat the rice. Cook for about 2 minutes until the rice is golden and translucent. Stir in the tomato puree and the saffron strands, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the pomegranate juice and stock and bring to the boil, stirring once or twice. Add the apricots or prunes and raisins and stir gently. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes until the chicken and rice are tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Turn into a shallow serving dish and sprinkle with the chopped mint or parsley. Serve immediately, garnished with pomegranate seeds, if using.
