Roasted Chicken with Rice

Roasted Chicken with Rice is a perfect one-pot meal and a delightful recipe for the Christmas roast dinner!

Since the Christmas is around the corner, Le Creuset Singapore approached me for this fantastic collaboration and the first recipe came to my mind was this delicious one-pot Roasted Chicken Roast! If you have a sturdy Cast Iron French Oven like Le Creuset, then you have to make a roast, but it is best when you make a one-pot meal. Making roast chicken with some sort of grain is a bit daunting for a lot of people, most times the grains are overcooked and soggy so after experimenting a lot I have come up with this fantastic recipe for you all.

This Roasted Chicken with Rice is juicy the meat falls off the bone quickly and the rice, oh it is uber flavourful. It gets cooked with all the juices and fat dripping from the chicken.

To give that Asian and Middle Eastern touch to this dish I made this recipe with Ras El Hanout, a punchy spice mix from Morocco and rose water to give that festive touch. The rice is cooked with dried apricots, walnuts and green peas. 

Make this Roasted Chicken with Rice and impress your friends on this Christmas!

Ingredients for chicken :

• 1 kg whole chicken 
• 1 tbsp Ras El Hanout 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp crushed black pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 lemon zest and juice
• 20g butter
• 2 cloves of garlic
• A lemon slices
• A few sprigs of spring onions and thyme
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves paste
• 1/4 tsp honey
• 1 tsp olive oil

Ingredients for rice:

• 200g basmati rice
• 1 onion medium diced
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 200g defrosted thawed green peas
• 1 tbsp coriander chopped
• 550ml water
• 10 apricots cut half
• 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
• 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1 tsp rose water
• 1/4 tsp saffron
• Salt to taste
• A few pods of cardamom and 2 cloves
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 10g butter

Instructions:

• Mix 20g butter with all the spices mentioned for the chicken, coriander paste, lemon zest and juice salt and honey.
• Preheat the oven to 220C/425F. Stuff the chicken with lemon slices, garlic, 10g butter, spring onions and thyme. Truss the chicken and rub the chicken well with the marinade. Keep it in the fridge overnight or minimum for 2 hours. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before roasting.
• Put the marinated chicken in a heavy cast iron pot, roast it for 25 minutes.
• After 25 minutes take the chicken out of the pot, reserve all the juices in bowl.
• In the same pot, add the olive oil and whole spices.
• Add in the garlic, onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add in the rice, parched the rice with all the fat.
• Add in the apricots, walnuts and coriander, mix well.
• Mix the cardamom, nutmeg and saffron with 1 tsp milk and rose water. Add that to the rice with the water.
• Place the half roasted chicken in the pot, cover with the lid and place it back in the oven.
• Reduce the temperature to 200C/400F and cook for 25 minutes.
• After 25 minutes, remove the lid and roast for another 8-12 minutes till the skin becomes crispy.
• Let it stand for 10 minutes. Serve with your choice of gravy and salad.