Chicken pilaf: Meaty fried rice is perfect for lunch or dinner

If you love risotto or fried rice dishes, you'll love chicken pilaf even more. It's a versatile recipe that you can get super creative with any day of the week.

Oct 11, 2022 - 13:42
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Chicken pilaf: Meaty fried rice is perfect for lunch or dinner

Sometimes you just want a lovely meal with chicken and vegetables and if you love fried rice or risotto, you’ll love pilaf. You can use ingredients you already have in the kitchen pantry and fridge, However, our chicken pilaf recipe gives you a great place to start. It’s also a healthy, coulourful, recipe which is great for cooking ahead of time for lunch at work or for dinner when you’ve had a long day.

Chicken pilaf hints

Like with beef, browning the chicken adds some flavour thanks to caramelisation or the maillard reaction. The rice cooks with the rest of the dish just like risotto but there’s no need to keep stirring, absorbing and stirring again. The mushrooms cooked on the side should be done without any liquid so that they can crisp a bit. If you want some spice, add some chili or paprika to the party.

If you love risotto or fried rice dishes, you’ll love chicken pilaf even more. It’s a versatile recipe that you can get super creative with any day of the week.

Chicken pilaf recipe
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Chicken pilaf recipe

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Recipe by Gary Dunn Course: MainCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 
Total time

1

hour 

20

minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken pieces

  • 3 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 onion

  • 1 green or red pepper

  • 2 sticks celery

  • 250 g long-grain rice

  • 1 chicken stock cube

  • 1 clove garlic, crushed

  • ¾ tsp curry powder

  • ¼ tsp dried mixed herbs

  • ¼ tsp chilli powder

  • 250 g tomatoes

  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced

  • packe frozen peas

  • salt and pepper

Method

  • Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan and fry chicken pieces fairly quickly until golden brown on both sides, then reduce heat, cover and continue to cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
  • Remove joints from pan and leave to drain on absorbent kitchen paper.
  • Chop onion and celery, de-seed and slice pepper. Fry in fat remaining in pan for a few minutes until they are soft. Add rice and fry for a further few minutes.
  • Add 600ml water, tomatoes, stock cube, garlic, curry powder, mixed herbs and chilli powder. Bring mixture to boiling point, stir with a fork, then cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until all liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked.
  • Fry mushrooms, with the remaining oil for a few minutes in a small pan.
  • When rice mixture is ready stir in chicken and peas. Reheat mixture, stirring frequently, and add salt and pepper to season it well.

Notes

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Do you want to make more dinner recipes to enjoy with your friends and family? Have a look at our excellent recipe suggestions for you to try. There are many more old-school recipes like this one. They are published in the Hamlyn All-colour Cook Book.

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