This rice dish is sure to become a family favorite – and it is an easy one pot 30-minute meal. During a recent trip to Israel (prior to October 7th), a Druze family invited my husband and I into their home. The wife made this dish (and several others) allowing me to cook alongside her. It was wonderful. The Majadara spice mix is this amazing amalgam of spices that we associate with sweet, and spices that we associate with savory. Brought together in this rice dish – it became an instant family favorite. This is a riff off of that recipe – I hope they will forgive the license. -Kim (Owner of Spirits & Spice)
You will need:
- 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced into roughly 1 inch cubes
- ½ large yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 4 Tbsp. Spirits & Spice EVOO Chili Oil
- 1 dried Bay Leaf
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 2 cups medium grain rice (like a Calrose)
- 4 cups of hot water
- 2 Tbsp. Spirits & Spice Majestic Majadara
- Salt & Pepper, season to taste ( I used 1 tsp of each)
- Spirits & Spice Black Cherry Balsamic to drizzle on top
Instructions:
- Season your diced chicken with 1 Tbsp. of the Majestic Majadara mix.
- Heat 2 Tbsp. of the Chili Oil in a medium sized covered dutch oven, covered casserole or covered braising dish over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, brown the chicken and remove from the cooking vessel and set aside.
- Sauté the onions next and once they are nicely caramelized, add back in the chicken, add the rice and the remaining chili oil.
- Cook for about 2 minutes to brown the rice a bit. Add the hot water, dried cranberries, the Bay Leaf and 1 more Tbsp of the Majestic Majadara Mix, the salt and the pepper.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover tightly with the lid for 20 minutes (for high altitude you may need 25).
- Turn off the heat and allow to rest for five minutes prior to serving.
- Serve with a drizzle of the Black Cherry Balsamic to top it off.
Enjoy!
