One Pot Middle Eastern Chicken & Rice

Note: this recipe feeds a small army (seriously, so…much… food). This would be a great meal prep for a week when you are having lunches at home, for a big dinner (serve with salads and dips on the side) OR just cut the recipe down!

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts (or use whatever cut you prefer or not, bone in or boneless)

• 3/4 cup raw French lentils

• 2 1/2 cup of basmati rice

• 3 tbsp of butter

• 2 medium yellow onions; thinly slices

• 1 heaping cup of raisins

• 2 bay leaves (fresh if possible)

• 6 Medjool dates; pitted and cut into small pieces

• 4 1/2 cups of chicken broth

• 1 tsp and 1 tbsp of ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp of turmeric

• 1 tsp of paprika

• Salt & pepper

• Olive oil

Optional toppings: hummus, tahini, schug/harissa, Trader Joe’s jalapeno sauce.

Prepare the chicken breasts ahead of time by seasoning generously with salt, pepper and the 1 tsp of cumin on all sides. Let the chicken sit out to come to room temperature for about an hour so that it can be fully seasoned. (If you plan to season for more than an hour, just make sure it gets in the refrigerator).

While the chicken is resting, bring a pot to boil with water. Add in the lentils and cook until just tender (about 20 minutes), drain and set aside.

With a large (large!!!) Dutch oven of heavy bottomed pot with a lid, wrap the lid with a tea towel secured with a clip or rubber band. The towel will help absorb the steam and stop anything from getting soggy. Make sure the towel won’t burn on your stove.

Heat the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add a bit of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Brown the chicken breast on both sides- don’t worry about cooking everything 100% through, focus on getting good color. Pull the chicken out and set aside.

Once the chicken is cleared from the pan, add the butter and melt. Add in the onions, cumin, turmeric, paprika, pinch of salt and bay leaves. Cook until the onions are soft and tender but not browned.

Add the rice to the onions and spices and mix well. You want the rice to toast just slightly. Add the raisins and dates and let that fry off for a few minutes.

Pour in the cooked lentils and chicken stock, mix well and increase the heat to high. Bring the whole pot to a boil. Check the seasoning and adjust as needed. You will want more salt than you expect, as the rice and lentils will absorb a lot of the salt. After you have tasted and adjusted the seasoning, nestle your chicken breasts (and the juices) back into the pot.

Cover the pot (with the towel covered lid) and cook on low heat for about 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, turn off the heat but keep the lid on for about 10 minutes. Remove lid, fluff with fork and serve.

I personally pulled the chicken out shredded it, and added it back to the pot, but you can definitely keep the chicken as is.

Serve hot and with optional toppings!