← Nouns Cooking · Lebanese & Turkish

Ingredients

• 800 g bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1.5 l Water
• 1 Bay leaves
• 1½ tsp salt, divided
• 280 g long-grain rice, rinsed
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 can chickpeas (400 g can), drained and rinsed
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• pickled green chillies, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Put the chicken, water, bay leaf and 1 tsp salt in a pot. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam, then simmer partly covered for 30–35 min until the chicken reaches 75°C (165°F).
2. Meanwhile, soak the rice in warm salted water for 20 min, then drain well.
3. Lift out the chicken and measure 550 ml of the stock; keep it hot. Discard the skin and bones and shred the meat.
4. Melt the butter with the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the rice and stir for 2–3 min until the grains turn translucent at the edges.
5. Add the chickpeas, the hot stock, the remaining salt and the pepper. Bring to the boil, cover, then cook on the lowest heat for 15 min until the stock is absorbed.
6. Take off the heat, lay a clean tea towel under the lid and rest for 10 min. Fluff the pilaf, top with the shredded chicken and serve with pickled peppers.

Tips

• Keep the leftover stock for soup.
• Short, plump Turkish baldo rice gives the most authentic texture; any long-grain rice works.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Ozlem's Turkish Table Turkey’s For Life