Name: Afghan Style Chicken And Rice - Yakhni Palow
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: Afghan
Ingredients: For the Yahkni; 1/4 cup oil; 2 black cardamom pods, slightly crushed to crack them open (if you have them); 3 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed to crack them open; 1 star anise; 2 cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 tsp cumin seed; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 tsp turmeric; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 1 medium onion, roughly chopped; 5 whole garlic cloves; 1 tsp black peppercorns, whole or 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 1-1.5 lbs chicken drumsticks or other bone in chicken; 2 cups water; For the Chicken; 2 tbs oil; 1 small onion, diced; 2 medium tomatoes, chopped; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp ground coriander; 2 Cups Sela Basmati Rice, washed thoroughly and soaked

Ingredients

Scale

For the Yahkni

1/4 cup oil

2 black cardamom pods, slightly crushed to crack them open (if you have them)

3 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed to crack them open

1 star anise

2 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp cumin seed

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

5 whole garlic cloves

1 tsp black peppercorns, whole or 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1–1.5 lbs chicken drumsticks or other bone in chicken

2 cups water

For the Chicken

2 tbs oil

1 small onion, diced

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

2 Cups Sela Basmati Rice, washed thoroughly and soaked

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Instructions

Make the Yakhni: Heat the oil in a large pot. Add all of the spices and let them cook about 2 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the onions just start to get soft. Add the chicken and cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly so they get light brown all over. Add the water and bring it up to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and let the chicken cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the chicken pieces from the broth and set aside. Strain the broth and reserve the liquid and keep it aside.

Fry the chicken: In the same pot, add the oil for the chicken. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and let them fry until golden brown. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are very soft. Add the spices and let them cook for just 1 minute until they release their aroma. Add the chicken back to the pot and stir making sure the pieces get covered in the tomato/onion mixture. Cook for just 2 minutes.

Make the palow: Drain the water from the rice and add it directly into the pot over the chicken. Stir so that the chicken and rice get combined. Add the yahkni/broth back to the pot and stir to make sure all of the rice is covered in the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook until some of the water is absorbed into the rice, about 2 or 3 minutes. You can stir it once or twice but be careful not to break the rice grains be gentle. Turn the heat down to low and cover the pot with a tight fitting lid. I covered the hole of my green pan so the steam could not escape! Cook on very low heat for about 20-30 minutes.

Serve: Fluff the rice well with a slotted spoon, being very gentle to make sure you don’t break the grains. Serve on a platter with salata, achar and yogurt.

Notes

The prep time does not include the time you need to rinse and soak the rice. If you forget to soak it earlier, that’s ok. Start soaking when you begin making the broth/yakhni. That gives you at least 30 minutes of soaking time.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Category: Main Meat Dishes
Method: One-Pot
Cuisine: Afghan, Central Asian, Middle Eastern