Kenyan Chicken Pilau
An East African rice pilaf dish with chicken and spices.

servings: 4
total time: 1 hour
recipe by: Frankie
Ingredients
- 4 TBSP olive oil
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 lbs bone-in chicken drumsticks, skin removed
- 1 cup uncooked basmati rice, rinsed thoroughly
- 2 cups chicken stock
- salt & pepper
Directions
- Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
- Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, and garlic to the pan and stir to combine.
- Generously season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken in the onions and spices, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- Add the rice and 1/2 tsp of salt to the pan, stir to combine. Slowly pour in the chicken stock and scrape the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula to release any stuck on bits. Bring to a boil.
- Cover the dutch oven tightly with a lid and reduce heat to low. Cook, DONT REMOVE THE LID, on low for 20 minutes.
- Take off the heat, DONT REMOVE THE LID YET, and let rest 15 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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This is a great recipe, and the closest I've found to what I've eaten in Uganda. For the rice to stock ratio, I recommend using the proportions you normally do when cooking rice. The first time I made this, I did 2 parts stock to 1 part rice and cooked for 20 minutes as suggested, and I found the rice overcooked. However, this time, I made it with 1.5 parts stock to 1 part rice and cooked it for 15 minutes (as that's how I normally cook a pot of rice), and it was perfect.