CHICKEN AND CHICKPEA RICE PILAF

Chicken and Chickpea Rice Pilaf image

This started with a regular rice pilaf recipe that just expanded to include various beans and meats. Eventually this became my favorite combination. The rice turns crispy and crunchy when done right, with just the right amount of spice to keep you going back for more. This is a pretty time-consuming and labor-intensive dish, but after trial and error, as well as a little personal touch, it becomes a delicious weekly addiction.

Provided by dejan tadic

Categories Side Dish Rice Side Dish Recipes Pilaf

Time 1h29m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1 cup long-grain brown rice
6 chicken drumsticks
2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons ground black pepper, divided
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper, divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups chicken broth

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Melt butter with oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add onion; cook and stir until translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add rice; cook and stir until translucent and coated in oil, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Season drumsticks with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook drumsticks until skin is golden brown and crispy on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Pour chicken broth into a deep saucepan and bring to a boil. Season with remaining salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; add thyme. Reduce heat to a simmer.
Transfer chickpea-rice mixture to an oven-proof cast iron skillet. Pour in the chicken broth and mix. Place drumsticks on top and cover skillet tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake in the preheated oven until rice is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove aluminum foil, raise oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C); continue baking until rice is crispy on top, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 343.3 calories, Carbohydrate 37.4 g, Cholesterol 69 mg, Fat 10 g, Fiber 3.9 g, Protein 24.9 g, SaturatedFat 2.9 g, Sodium 1376 mg, Sugar 1.5 g