Saffron Scented Chicken Pilaf Recipes

Steps:

• Marinate the chicken pieces in the yogurt, lemon and cinnamon for about an hour. Soak the saffron threads in the chicken stock.
• Over medium heat, in a large pan with a lid, melt the butter along with 1 tablespoon oil and add the rice, stirring it to coat until glossy. Pour in the saffron and chicken stock, add the cardamom pods, lemon juice and zest and bring the pan to the boil, then clamp on a lid and turn the heat down to very low. Cook like this for about 10-15 minutes, by which time the rice should have absorbed the liquid and be cooked through.
• While the rice is cooking, shake the excess yogurt marinade off the chicken using a sieve. Then fry the meat in a hot pan with the remaining spoonful or so of oil, and do this in batches so that the chicken colours rather than just pallidly stews to cookedness.
• When the rice is cooked, take it off the heat and fork through the pan-bronzed chicken pieces. Toast all the nuts except the pistachios, by simply shaking them in an oil-less frying-pan over a medium heat until they colour and begin to give off their waxy scent, and then add them to the pilaf along with the chopped parsley. Pile everything on to a plate and add a fabulously green sprinkling of slivered or roughly chopped pistachios.

Steps:

• 1. Marinate the chicken pieces in the yogurt, juice of half a lemon and cinnamon for about an hour. Soak the saffron threads in the chicken stock. 2. Over medium heat, in a large pan with a lid, melt the butter and 1 Tbsp oil. Add the rice, stirring it to coat. Pour in the saffron and chicken stock, add the cardamom, remaining lemon juice and zest. Bring the pan to a boil, then turn heat down to low, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the rice has absorbed the liquid and cooked through. 3. While the rice is cooking, shake the excess marinade off the chicken. Then fry chicken in batches in a hot pan with the remaining oil so it colors. 4. Toast the cashews, almonds and pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat. 5. In serving bowl, combine the rice, chicken, toasted nuts and parsley. Sprinkle with pistachios.

Steps:

• Marinate the chicken in the yogurt, lemon, cinnamon, small pinch of garam masala, and grated ginger for about 1 hour. Soak the saffron threads in the chicken stock.
• Shake the excess marinade off the chicken. In a large Dutch oven or Le Creuset over medium-high heat, fry the meat with a spoonful or so of oil (do this in batches so that the chicken becomes nicely golden in color). Remove chicken and browned bits to a plate, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm and set aside.
• In the same pan, melt the butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil and add the rice, stirring to coat until glossy. Pour in the saffron and chicken stock, add the sultanas, cardamom pods, rose water, lemon juice and zest and bring the pan to the boil, then clamp on the lid and turn the heat down to very low. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, by which time the rice should have absorbed the liquid and be cooked through.
• Add the chicken and the browned bits to the rice, stirring gently to combine.
• Toast the almonds by shaking them in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until they color and begin to give off their fragrance, then add to the pilaf along with the chopped parsley. Pile everything onto a plate and add a fabulously green sprinkling of slivered or roughly chopped pistachios.