Djaj a Riz (Chicken with Rice)

In  conjunction with sharing a bit about my beloved Jido, here is a dish I had the pleasure of enjoying with him. This meal is soft and flavorful and pairs well with greens. This dish is naturally gluten-free.

Rice with Meat and Chicken

Serves: 8
Preparation time:30 min
Cooking time: 90 min

1/2 lb Ground Beef
1 Whole Chicken, cleaned and separated
2 cups White Rice
1/8 cup Olive Oil
1 t Black Pepper
2 T Salt
1 t Allspice
1/2 t Cinnamon
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 cup Pine Nuts

Instructions: Brown the ground beef in a pan with some of the allspice, salt and pepper. When browned, add 1/4 cup water and let simmer on low heat.

In another pan, boil the cleaned and separated chicken with the bay leaf and the other half of the salt. Boil the chicken until it is soft and comes easily off the bone (at least 45 in). To this, you can also add any of your favorite spices in a spice ball to be removed when chicken is cooked. As it is boiling, be sure to skim the surface of the water to remove the “dust”. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan, saving the water.

Measure the water from the chicken, and add it to the 1/4 cup water in the pan with the ground beef along with the cinnamon, rice, and any additional water required for cooking the type of white rice you are using. Cook until the rice is done, then place the chicken on top of the rice and beef mixture and serve with pine nuts that have been fried lightly in a pan until golden brown.

Alternative: Sautee cooked chicken pieces in sesame oil with allspice and salt. Place on top of dish as pictured above.