Chicken Pilaf with Chickpeas
This chicken pilaf dish is a must at large family gatherings in Turkey.
About this Recipe
This simple chicken pilaf dish with shredded chicken and chickpeas is a must at large family gatherings in Turkey. When it’s made with homemade chicken stock and sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper, it tastes simply delicious. If you have some leftover chicken from a Sunday roast, this is a perfect way to use it.
SERVES 8 AS SIDE DISH / 4 – 5 AS MAIN
PREP TIME: 5 MINS + 30 MINS SOAKING TIME
COOK TIME: 40 MINS
Even though families like to eat it on special occasions such as weddings or circumcision feasts; chicken pilaf is one of Turkey’s most popular street foods. You can easily spot street vendors selling steaming hot pilaf with chickpeas and shredded chicken in their glass-windowed handcarts, especially at lunchtime. They usually serve the dish with a cup of ayran – a cold, salted yoghurt drink – and pickled chilli peppers.
To make this dish is very easy and all you need is three main ingredients: rice, chicken and chickpeas. But before you roll up your sleeves and head towards the kitchen to make this chicken pilaf, I would like to share some tips with you:
SUGGESTIONS
- Baldo rice – a plump, milled, short-grain rice – is the best option for this dish. It keeps its shape well and it has a very creamy and tender texture when cooked. As a substitute, you can use Italian arborio rice instead.
- I like to use leftover chicken from a Sunday roast to make this meal. But you can also poach a whole chicken with chunks of vegetables like onions, carrots, celery stalks, plus some parsley, rosemary and bay leaves, on the hob for a couple of hours. This way, both chicken and stock can be used for pilaf. The third option is to poach a couple of chicken legs solely for this dish with the vegetables and herbs I have mentioned above.
- I prefer to use homemade chicken stock for this recipe. However, it’s possible to achieve a similar taste with a chicken stock cube.
- Using just a few drops of lemon will make the colour of your rice whiter.
- Prepared too much? No problem, it is an easy dish to reheat – just put the remainder of the chicken pilaf in a bowl. Then, place it in a wide pan or saucepan filled with some water and cover it with a lid. Bring it to a boil and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes or so. It will taste almost as good as it does when fresh.
DOS
- Soak the rice in cold water for at least 30 minutes and rinse thoroughly under cold water. The aim is to get rid of the starch. This way, your pilaf will be fluffy with separate grains which is considered beautiful and delicious in Turkish cuisine.
- Once it’s cooked, let the pilaf rest for 10 minutes or so covered with a tea towel.
DON’TS
- Don’t disturb the rice while cooking. Stir it only right at the very end, after it’s rested for 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 310 g medium size Baldo rice or any short grain rice such as arborio
- 120 ml water (and some more to soak the rice)
- 250 g leftover chicken or 2 pieces of chicken legs on the bone (see note)
- 25 g butter
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 240 ml chicken stock at room temperature
- 100 g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3-4 drops of lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
First, soak the rice in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. Then put it in a sieve and wash thoroughly under cold running water until all the starch is removed from the rice. Drain the rice and set it aside.
Step 2
Meanwhile, after removing the bones and skin, tear up the leftover chicken into small pieces and set them aside.
Step 3
Over low heat, melt the butter together with the oil in a large, shallow and ideally non-stick pan. Add the rice and gently work the oil through the rice with a wooden spoon. Continuously stir it for about 4 – 5 minutes until they are all coated with oil and looking translucent.
Step 4
Add the chickpeas to the rice and stir them for a couple of minutes. On top, place the pulled chicken.
Step 5
In a jug, mix the chicken stock with 120 ml water and pour it into the saucepan. Add a few drops of lemon and salt to taste.
Step 6
Over high heat bring the liquid to a boil. Then put a lid on, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes without disturbing the rice until all the water is absorbed.
Step 7
Turn off the heat, cover the rice with a tea towel and put the lid back on. Let the rice rest for 10 minutes.
Step 8
Stir the rice very gently with the help of a wooden spoon to let it loosen. Use a small bowl as a mould for serving. Arrange some of the pulled chicken in the bottom and up the sides. After filling the bowl with rice, gently press it down. Place your serving plate on top of the bowl, turn it upside down and then remove the bowl to reveal the chicken pilaf.
Step 9
Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and serve either as main or side dish along with a refreshing cold Turkish yoghurt drink called “ayran” or yoghurt.
Goes Well With
Ayran – a cold Turkish yoghurt drink
Süzme Yoghurt (Thick Turkish Yoghurt) & Pickles
Grape Compote
Notes
How to cook chicken legs: Simmering chicken legs in water makes them taste more succulent. First, place the chicken legs in a big saucepan. Cut 1 carrot and 2 celery sticks into big chunks. Quarter an onion. Put all the vegetables into the saucepan. Add 2 bay leaves, 3 black peppercorns and salt to taste. Pour 2 lt water. Close the lid and bring it to a boil on high heat. Then turn it down and simmer it for 1,5 – 2 hours. Take out the chicken legs from the saucepan. Remove the skin and the bone, then tear up the chicken into small pieces. Your chicken is ready to be used. You can also use the chicken stock for the rice.
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