Chicken and Chickpea Rice Pilaf

Rating: 5 stars
2 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 2
  • 4 star values: 0
  • 3 star values: 0
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0

This started with a regular rice pilaf recipe that just expanded to include various beans and meats. Eventually this became my favorite combination. The rice turns crispy and crunchy when done right, with just the right amount of spice to keep you going back for more. This is a pretty time-consuming and labor-intensive dish, but after trial and error, as well as a little personal touch, it becomes a delicious weekly addiction.

By dejan tadic

Gallery

Recipe Summary

prep:
20 mins
cook:
1 hr 9 mins
total:
1 hr 29 mins
Servings:
6
Yield:
1 skillet
Nutrition Info
Advertisement

Ingredients

6
Original recipe yields 6 servings
The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

    Advertisement

  • Melt butter with oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add onion; cook and stir until translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice; cook and stir until translucent and coated in oil, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

  • Season drumsticks with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper.

  • Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook drumsticks until skin is golden brown and crispy on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

  • Pour chicken broth into a deep saucepan and bring to a boil. Season with remaining salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; add thyme. Reduce heat to a simmer.

  • Transfer chickpea-rice mixture to an oven-proof cast iron skillet. Pour in the chicken broth and mix. Place drumsticks on top and cover skillet tightly with aluminum foil.

  • Bake in the preheated oven until rice is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove aluminum foil, raise oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C); continue baking until rice is crispy on top, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Cook's Notes:

There are many ways to adjust this recipe to make it your own. I like mine with some spicy curry powder, chili powder, or Cajun seasoning at times. Depending on your spice tolerance, adjust the cayenne as necessary to taste.

If you do not have an oven-capable cast iron skillet, you can use a baking dish instead.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
343 calories; protein 24.9g; carbohydrates 37.4g; fat 10g; cholesterol 69mg; sodium 1376mg. Full Nutrition
Advertisement

Reviews (1)

Read More Reviews

Most helpful positive review

Lisa C.
Rating: 5 stars
12/03/2017
Absolutely delicious! I'll be making this often. Now I did change the procedure a bit because it seemed a little backwards to me and I didn't want to dirty two saucepans and a skillet when just the skillet would suffice. So instead of the order prescribed I cooked the drumsticks in the skillet FIRST removed them then sauteed the onions/chickpeas/rice in the same pan and poured the stock/thyme directly into the pan before adding the chicken back in and popping it into the oven with a lid on it. I did however omit the second addition of salt/pepper/cayenne because I felt 1 teas of each was sufficient and it was still extremely rich and flavorful with just a bit of heat. I served it with a dollop of sour cream to cut the spiciness and it was heaven! Read More
Helpful
(1)
2 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 2
  • 4 star values: 0
  • 3 star values: 0
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
Lisa C.
Rating: 5 stars
12/02/2017
Absolutely delicious! I'll be making this often. Now I did change the procedure a bit because it seemed a little backwards to me and I didn't want to dirty two saucepans and a skillet when just the skillet would suffice. So instead of the order prescribed I cooked the drumsticks in the skillet FIRST removed them then sauteed the onions/chickpeas/rice in the same pan and poured the stock/thyme directly into the pan before adding the chicken back in and popping it into the oven with a lid on it. I did however omit the second addition of salt/pepper/cayenne because I felt 1 teas of each was sufficient and it was still extremely rich and flavorful with just a bit of heat. I served it with a dollop of sour cream to cut the spiciness and it was heaven! Read More
Helpful
(1)
Mitch Nothem
Rating: 5 stars
04/02/2021
This was absolutely fantastic!!! I created an account just to review it because it was so good! I added only half of the salt and cayenne like another reviewer suggested. I think the recipe as written would be way too hot. I also deglazed the pan using the chicken broth. I think next time I will add an extra tbsp of butter, double the thyme, and increase the cooking time in the oven in part 2 for 10 mins to get it extra crisp on top Read More
© Copyright 2021 allrecipes.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.allrecipes.com 04/13/2021