epicurious
Vermicelli Chicken and Rice With Cardamom and Cinnamon
This one-pot chicken and rice is a dinner-time winner. It gives you everything you need really: protein power, carb comfort, and joy in the form of crispy edges.
👥 4 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 1h 30m👤 Noor Murad📖 epicurious
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●bowl
- ●oven
- ●pan
- ●knife
📝 Preparation Steps
1
In a large bowl combine seeds from 20 cardamom pods, finely crushed using a pestle and mortar, 1½ tsp. paprika, 1½ tsp. dried oregano, 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. salt and a generous grind of freshly ground black pepper. Add 6 large chicken thighs (or 8 smaller ones), bone in, skin on, coat well and set aside to marinate at least ⏱️ 20 minutes, or refrigerate for longer if getting ahead. If the latter, remove chicken from refrigerator at least ⏱️ 30 minutes before you start cooking.
Seeds from 20 cardamom pods, finely crushed using a pestle and mortar(5½ oz.) wheat vermicelli noodles, broken into roughly 1½" lengths150 g(9 oz.) basmati rice, washed until the water runs clear, then soaked for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours, then drained250 g(¾ oz.) unsalted butter, cut into 6–8 cubes20 g(⅛ oz.) parsley, roughly chopped5 g½ tsp. paprika1½ tsp. dried oregano1½ tsp. ground cinnamon1. olive oil, divided4 TbspFreshly ground black pepperlarge chicken thighs (or 8 smaller ones), bone in, skin on6
2
Preheat oven to 400°.
3
Place a large, lidded, nonstick, ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the noodles and toast, stirring often, until deeply brown, about 10–⏱️ 12 minutes. Transfer toasted noodles to a plate, then return the pan to medium-high heat. Add 3 large chicken thighs (or 4 smaller ones), bone in, skin on, skin-side down, and cook for about ⏱️ 5 minutes or until nicely coloured. Turn pieces over and cook on the other side ⏱️ 2 minutes more. Transfer to a tray or plate and repeat with remaining 3 large chicken thighs (or 4 smaller ones), bone in, skin on.
large chicken thighs (or 8 smaller ones), bone in, skin on6(5½ oz.) wheat vermicelli noodles, broken into roughly 1½" lengths150 g(9 oz.) basmati rice, washed until the water runs clear, then soaked for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours, then drained250 g(¾ oz.) unsalted butter, cut into 6–8 cubes20 g(⅛ oz.) parsley, roughly chopped5 g
4
Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, the 1 onion, finely chopped (180 g/6¼ oz.), 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 fresh bay leaves and a tiny pinch of salt and cook about 4–⏱️ 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened and lightly browned. Add 250 g (9 oz.) basmati rice, washed until the water runs clear, then soaked for at least ⏱️ 20 minutes and up to ⏱️ 2 hours, then drained, toasted vermicelli, and remaining 1 tsp. fine sea salt and cook for a minute more, stirring continuously. Pour in 720 ml (25 oz) hot water, give everything a stir, then top with chicken thighs (don’t push them into the rice), skin-side up, along with any of their juices. Cover and transfer to oven for ⏱️ 40 minutes.
(5½ oz.) wheat vermicelli noodles, broken into roughly 1½" lengths150 gonion, finely chopped (180 g/6¼ oz.)1(9 oz.) basmati rice, washed until the water runs clear, then soaked for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours, then drained250 g(¾ oz.) unsalted butter, cut into 6–8 cubes20 g(⅛ oz.) parsley, roughly chopped5 gcinnamon sticks2fresh bay leaves3. fine sea salt, divided, plus more2 tsplarge chicken thighs (or 8 smaller ones), bone in, skin on6
5
Remove from oven and turn up temperature to 475°. Top each chicken thigh with a cube of butter, then bake, lid off, ⏱️ 10 minutes more, or until chicken is nice and crisp and the edges of the pan are browned. Take out of oven and let settle 5–⏱️ 10 minutes, then transfer the chicken thighs onto a tray or plate. Use a slotted spoon to gently loosen the rice, then place a very large platter on top of the pan. In one swift movement, and using a tea towel to help you, carefully invert the whole thing onto it. You should have some nice, crisped-up rice around the top and edges. Use a small serrated knife to break apart the crispy rice (the tahdig) into random chunks, then top with the chicken thighs. Sprinkle over 5 g (⅛ oz.) parsley, roughly chopped, squeeze over the ½ lemon and serve warm.
large chicken thighs (or 8 smaller ones), bone in, skin on6(5½ oz.) wheat vermicelli noodles, broken into roughly 1½" lengths150 g(9 oz.) basmati rice, washed until the water runs clear, then soaked for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours, then drained250 g(¾ oz.) unsalted butter, cut into 6–8 cubes20 g(⅛ oz.) parsley, roughly chopped5 g
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