Spiced Chicken and Rice With Cardamom and Cinnamon

By Kay Chun

Published June 4, 2024

Spiced Chicken and Rice With Cardamom and Cinnamon
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero.
Total Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(2,270)
Comments
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Inspired by the combination of warm spices, nuts and sweet raisins used in Iranian dishes such as jeweled rice and various fragrant stews, this comforting and speedy one-pot chicken and rice gets a fragrant boost from turmeric and cardamom, plus roasted pistachios and golden raisins. Chicken thighs are browned in olive oil until golden, then the spices are bloomed in the same oil to release all of their aromas; the chicken and rice simmer in broth together. While saffron is often used to season rice and impart a golden hue, it is expensive. Dried ground turmeric is a great alternative that offers a similarly sunny hue and floral citrus notes. When all the liquid is absorbed by the rice, a prized layer of crispy socarrat forms on the bottom of the pot for anyone who enjoys the super toasty flavor. Stuff any leftovers with a dollop of yogurt or labneh into burritos for an easy desk lunch the next day.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1½pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1½- to 2-inch pieces
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1small red onion, thinly sliced (2 cups)
  • 1garlic clove, minced
  • 1(3-inch) cinnamon stick
  • ½teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ⅛teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1½cups/about 11 ounces basmati rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
  • 3cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • ¼cup golden raisins
  • ¼cup roasted salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
  • ¼cup sliced almonds (optional)
  • 2tablespoons chopped dill
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

764 calories; 28 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 82 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 47 grams protein; 1229 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large Dutch oven or heavy lidded pot, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches, cook chicken, turning halfway through, just until no longer pink, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

  2. Step 2

    Decrease heat to low and add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, oil and the sliced onion to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric and allspice and stir until well incorporated and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and stir until thoroughly combined.

  3. Step 3

    Add broth, raisins and pistachios, season well with salt and pepper and stir to lift up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Arrange chicken (with any accumulated juices) in an even layer on top and bring to a boil over high.

  4. Step 4

    Cover and decrease heat to low. Cook, undisturbed, until all of the liquid is absorbed, rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Meanwhile, if using almonds, toast them in a small skillet over low, stirring, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Discard cinnamon stick. Scatter dill over the chicken and rice, then divide among bowls. Top each with some of the toasted almonds (if using). Serve warm.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,270 user ratings
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Comments

Amanda

Almonds, raisins, pistachios on the side. Spices doubled. 2.5 cups broth, basmati rice - perfect no mush. Next time double onion, maybe 1 tablespoon less oil.

Rach

Really enjoyed this, doubled spices (thank you to commenters who suggested this!) and used brown basmati rice. For brown rice, increased liquid by 1/2 cup and did 30 min cooking time with brown rice so put chicken in 10 mins after adding stock.

Jean

the proportions in the recipe seem skewed. it could be so much more pungent and exciting; I suggest using twice as much of the turmeric-cardamom-allspice mixture, cinnamon, garlic, pistachios, almonds, and dill... Or reduce the amount of rice.

David

Excellent! Next time I would double the amount of chicken in addition to doubling the spices. Recipe makes about 8 servings as written.

Dawn A

I have made this three times and it’s become a family favorite. Each time, I added lots of additional chicken as we love chicken thighs. My notes: It’s a good idea to use basmati rice. When I substituted with a different rice, the rice stuck to the bottom of the pan… I used basmati last night, doubled the recipe (double all ingredients AND tripled the chicken chicken), and then doubled the spices again because I added lots of additional chicken. I also added additional pistachio nuts to use the balance of the package that I had. We ate last night and HAD a ton of leftovers. I will note that this dish is excellent as leftovers, as 1/2 of the leftovers were gone before I woke up this morning (someone in my household is guilty of late night fridge raiding!!). I will continue to make this dish for family and friends. It’s a keeper!

Sinfulbaker

Did this in my insta pot: insta pot: used ghee and kep the chicken thighs whole. Brown them on both sides, remove the chicken added more ghee and sauted the onion. Added in garlic and doubled the amount of spices, stirred till fragrant, added full amount of rice, next time will reduce to 1 cup, added two cups of broth, next time reduce to 1 and 1/4 cups with the one cup of rice. Arrange the chicken on top and used the rice cooker button. let's set for 10 minutes after done. Then topped with chopped pistachios and dill. I found the pistachios weren't really flavorful and chopped peanuts might work better.

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