One-Pot Lebanese Chicken Rice: The Dinner Table Centerpiece

⏱ Prep: 15 min 🔥Cook: 1 hr 15 min 👤Serves: 6 🌍Arabic: Riz a Djaj

One-Pot Lebanese Chicken Rice, riz a djaj, is the dish that appears at the center of every Lebanese celebration table and disappears before anything else. Chicken thighs simmered in a fragrant broth of cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves and allspice until the stock is golden and deeply aromatic, then shredded over toasted vermicelli rice cooked in that same broth and spiced with Lebanese 7 spice, cinnamon and nutmeg, finished with a shower of golden toasted pine nuts, almonds and cashews. One pot. The whole family fed. The kind of dish that earns a reputation.

Ingredients

For the chicken and broth

• 2 lbs (900g) bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, bone-in only. The bones produce a gelatinous, deeply flavored broth that becomes the cooking liquid for the rice. Boneless chicken produces thin, pale stock that makes flat-tasting rice.
• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 2 cardamom pods, lightly crushed, optional but traditional, adds a faint floral warmth to the broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups (1.2 liters) water

For the spiced rice

• 2 cups (400g) long-grain basmati rice, soaked in cold water for 20 minutes, then drained. Soaking reduces starch and produces fluffier, more separated grains.
• ½ cup (60g) vermicelli noodles, broken into 1-inch pieces. Toasted in butter until golden before adding the rice, this is the technique from the Lebanese vermicelli rice that makes the base so nutty and distinct.
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for toasting the vermicelli
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• ½ lb (225g) lean ground beef or lamb, optional but traditional in the authentic roz a djaj version. The hashweh-style spiced ground meat mixed through the rice is what elevates this from chicken-over-rice to the Lebanese celebration dish. Omit for a simpler weeknight version.
• 1½ teaspoons Lebanese 7 spice (baharat), available at Middle Eastern grocery stores. Substitute: equal parts allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, cumin, cloves and nutmeg.
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups (720ml) reserved chicken broth, strained from the poached chicken. This is what the rice cooks in. Do not substitute with store-bought broth for this step, the homemade stock carries the cinnamon and clove aromatics from the chicken and infuses the entire rice.

For the toasted nut garnish

• ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted in butter 2–3 minutes until golden. Watch constantly, pine nuts burn in under 60 seconds once they start.
• ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted alongside the pine nuts
• ¼ cup cashews, halved and toasted. The three-nut combination is confirmed by feelgoodfoodie as the traditional Lebanese garnish.
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for toasting the nuts

Step by step

1. Make the chicken broth. Place the chicken thighs, quartered onion, cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, cardamom pods and salt in a large pot. Add the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce to a steady simmer, cover and cook for 35–40 minutes until the chicken is completely tender and falling from the bone.Skim the foam in the first 5 minutes, it is impurities from the chicken and removing it produces a cleaner, clearer, more fragrant stock. After the first 5 minutes no more foam rises and skimming is no longer needed.
2. Shred the chicken and strain the broth. Remove the chicken thighs and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discard the whole spices and onion. Reserve exactly 3 cups of the strained broth for cooking the rice. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and bones. Shred the meat into large chunks using two forks. Cover and set aside.Keep the shredded chicken in large, generous chunks, not finely shredded. Big pieces of chicken placed on top of the finished rice make for a far more impressive and satisfying presentation than finely torn meat.
3. Toast the nuts. In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the pine nuts, slivered almonds and cashews. Toast for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden. Remove immediately and set aside. Watch closely, nuts go from golden to burnt in 30 seconds.
4. Build the spiced rice base. In the same large pot, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the vermicelli pieces. Toast for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly, until deep golden brown and nutty. Add the diced onion. Cook for 5 minutes until soft. If using ground beef or lamb, add it now and cook for 5–6 minutes until browned completely. Add the 7 spice, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt and black pepper. Stir for 60 seconds until fragrant.Toast the vermicelli until genuinely deep golden, not pale, not dark brown. Pale vermicelli adds almost no flavor. Deep golden produces the characteristic nutty aroma that makes riz a djaj smell and taste so distinctive.
5. Cook the rice. Add the soaked and drained basmati rice to the pot. Stir to coat every grain in the spiced butter mixture. Pour in the 3 cups of reserved chicken broth. Stir once gently from the bottom. Bring to a boil, then reduce to the lowest heat setting. Cover tightly and cook for 18–20 minutes without lifting the lid. Remove from heat and leave covered for 10 minutes.Do not lift the lid during cooking or the steam escapes and the top layer of rice will not cook through evenly. The 10-minute rest after cooking is equally important, it firms the rice grains and allows the bottom to release naturally from the pot.
6. Plate and serve. Fluff the rice gently with a fork. Transfer to a large serving platter, spread the rice as the base. Arrange the shredded chicken generously over the top. Scatter the toasted pine nuts, almonds and cashews over everything. Finish with fresh flat-leaf parsley. Serve immediately with tabbouleh or fattoush and labneh or yogurt alongside.

The detail that changes everything

Cook the rice in the homemade chicken broth, not store-bought, not water. The broth carries every aromatic from the poached chicken, the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf and infuses the rice with a layered depth that no substitute can replicate. This is why riz a djaj tastes like a restaurant dish and not just chicken and rice.

The toasted nut garnish is not optional decoration. The three-nut combination, pine nuts, almonds and cashews, adds crunch, richness and a visual drama that makes this dish worthy of the center of a celebration table. Toast them in butter until genuinely golden and scatter them over the top at the very last moment.

Make it ahead

Claire’s note

Riz a djaj is one of the best make-ahead centerpiece dishes in the Lebanese collection. The chicken can be poached, shredded and refrigerated in its broth for up to 2 days ahead. Reheat the broth separately and use it to cook the rice fresh on the day of serving. The toasted nuts keep in a sealed jar for 1 week at room temperature. The complete assembled dish reheats well, place the rice in a wide pan with 3–4 tablespoons of water, cover and heat over low heat for 8–10 minutes. Add freshly toasted nuts at serving, never reheat the nuts. For a weeknight version without the ground meat: skip steps 4a and cut the cooking time to 45 minutes total.

Serve with

Riz a djaj is the centerpiece, everything else on the Lebanese table supports it. Tabbouleh is the essential green salad alongside, its bright, tangy acidity cuts perfectly through the rich spiced rice. Fattoush or a simple cucumber and tomato salad are equally good. Labneh or plain yogurt on the side for spooning over each serving is traditional and very good. For everything else on the Lebanese celebration table the complete Lebanese recipes collection has it all.

Add Lebanese chicken rice to your weekly meal planner, poach the chicken Sunday, refrigerate in its broth, cook the rice Monday in 25 minutes. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.

One-Pot Lebanese Chicken Rice

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• Author: Claire Bennett
• Total Time: 90 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Diet: Paleo, Gluten-Free

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Description

A traditional Lebanese chicken rice dish, riz a djaj, featuring spiced chicken thighs and vermicelli rice, perfect for celebrations.

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Ingredients

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• 2 lbs (900g) bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 2 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups (1.2 liters) water
• 2 cups (400g) long-grain basmati rice, soaked and drained
• ½ cup (60g) vermicelli noodles, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• ½ lb (225g) lean ground beef or lamb (optional)
• 1½ teaspoons Lebanese 7 spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups (720ml) reserved chicken broth
• ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
• ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
• ¼ cup cashews, halved and toasted
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for toasting the nuts
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped for serving
• Plain yogurt or labneh for serving
• Tabbouleh or fattoush salad for serving

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Instructions

1. Make the chicken broth: Place the chicken thighs, quartered onion, cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, cardamom pods and salt in a large pot. Add the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming any foam that rises. Reduce to a steady simmer, cover, and cook for 35-40 minutes.
2. Shred the chicken and strain the broth: Remove the chicken thighs and strain the broth. Reserve 3 cups of strained broth.
3. Toast the nuts: In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and toast the pine nuts, almonds and cashews for 2-3 minutes.
4. Build the spiced rice base: In the same large pot, melt butter and olive oil, then toast the vermicelli pieces. Add diced onion, and if using, ground meat. Stir in the spices.
5. Cook the rice: Add soaked basmati rice to the pot, stir, add reserved chicken broth, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low for 18-20 minutes.
6. Plate and serve: Fluff the rice, transfer to a platter, and arrange the shredded chicken on top. Scatter the toasted nuts and top with parsley. Serve with yogurt and salad.

Notes

This dish is perfect for special occasions and is best served with fresh salads to balance its richness.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 75 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Boiling
• Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 500
• Sugar: 2g
• Sodium: 800mg
• Fat: 28g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Unsaturated Fat: 15g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 40g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 30g
• Cholesterol: 90mg