Authentic Uzbek pilaf with chicken - step-by-step cooking recipe

Today we will have chicken pilaf for dinner. Let's prepare it the way they cook it in Uzbekistan. In compliance with the proportions of the components and the correct sequence of their laying. A classic oriental dish made from lamb or beef. The site already has corresponding recipes. When cooking with chicken, the sequence of actions does not differ from the classics. But the whole process will take less time. After all, poultry cooks much faster than meat.

Any parts of the carcass can be used for cooking. They even cook rice with chicken fillet. But to get the fat, you need bones. Therefore, my choice fell on the thighs. With such meat the serving will look neat. The pieces will not fall apart during cooking, keeping the pulp on the bone.

Whether the dish turns out to look like porridge or pilaf largely depends on the grain. I buy it in a vegetable shop where Uzbeks or Tajiks sell it. They also sell mung beans, chickpeas and oriental beans. There is also special rice for pilaf. It is long grain and not steamed. During the cooking process, it increases up to 4 times and does not stick together.

If you are cooking an Uzbek dish for the first time, then buy a steamed long-grain product. Although they write that after processing there are no useful substances left in it, do not listen. The dish will turn out like you have never eaten before. In addition, such rice will allow you to correct mistakes if you did not add or overfill water. In the description I will tell you how this is fixed.

How to cook pilaf with chicken in Uzbek

Today I am preparing a dish from half a kilogram of rice. In accordance with this, the weight of the remaining components is taken. The accepted proportions are as follows: as much meat as we take, we take the same amount of rice, carrots and onions. But I often change the proportions towards meat. I take it a little more. I calculate in such a way that for the expected number of servings I get a good piece of chicken.

Cooking time will be about 1.5 hours. You will have to put aside extraneous matters. The cooking process requires not only adherence to time for all stages, but also visual observation. Because at certain moments we will be guided not by time, but by the state of readiness of the component.

We will need (for 8 servings):

chicken – 750 gr
onion – 500 gr
carrots – 500 gr
rice – 500 gr
vegetable oil – 60-70 ml
cumin, coriander – 1-1.5 teaspoons each
barberry – 1 teaspoon
salt – 0.5 tbsp. spoons or to taste
ground black pepper to taste

In addition to the spices, add paprika and dried basil if desired.

Preparation:

1. As I noted above, I use chicken thighs for cooking. Wash them and let the water drain. Wipe with paper towels to prevent water from getting into the oil. Then cut into two equal halves. Select the location of the incision in such a way as not to cut through the thick bone.

At the same time, preserve the skin at the cut site. It will prevent the pieces from falling apart during frying and stewing.

2. Sprinkle the pieces with salt, pepper and part of the spice mixture. Prepare cumin and ground coriander from them. You can also add paprika and dried basil to the mixture for color. Nothing else will be needed. Only part of the additives goes here, the rest goes to zirvak.

3. Peel the onion. Leave the tails, it’s convenient to hold the onion by them when we cut it.

If the peel is difficult to clean, you can place the cut halves in water at room temperature for 2-3 minutes.

4. Cut the peeled onions into two halves lengthwise and place them in cold water. Water will wash away the onion juice, and we will save our eyes from tears. Cut the onion into half rings, as thin as possible. In this case, they will turn out transparent when held up to light. Discard the remaining tails.

Onions and carrots will be the same in volume.

5. Cut the carrots into thin strips. As a rule, this presents some difficulty for a beginner. But after cutting correctly once or twice, then this process will be effortless.

For ease of slicing, choose medium or large carrots. The appearance of the pilaf depends on how correctly you cut it. As a rule, the mistake is that the carrots are cut into pieces that are too thick and too short. Or even tinder on a grater. You must first cut diagonally with long plates no more than 0.5 cm thick. And then with long strips of the same thickness.

6. Prepare the cereal. I have long-grain unparboiled Uzbek rice. Rinse it under running water and then leave it under the tap, turning on a small stream. This way we wash off the starch so that the cereal does not stick together during cooking. In pilaf, the rice turns out crumbly. If it turns out to be a lump and sticks together, then it will be porridge. In Uzbek it is called “shavlya”.

Pour the washed rice with cold water and leave to swell. After standing in water for 20-30 minutes, it will then cook faster and take less water.

With vegetables in a slow cooker

For those who are on a diet or fasting, there is also a way to make juicy, flavorful pilaf without meat.

Ingredients:

A mixture of red, wild and white rice - 0.5 kg.
Onion – 1 head.
Sweet bell pepper – 1 pc.
Carrots – 1 medium root vegetable.
Eggplant – 1 pc.
Raisins – 1 handful.
Dried apricots – 10 pcs.
Carnation buds – 5 pcs.
Star anise – 1 star.
Grapeseed oils – 60 ml.
Salt and ground white pepper to taste.

KBJU for 100 g of dish:

Calorie content – 112 kcal.
Proteins – 2.2 g.
Fats – 7.3 g.
Carbohydrates – 13 g.

Vegetable pilaf recipe step by step:

First, fry the garlic in half rings in vegetable oil in a multicooker. Add star anise and cloves.
Then add carrots in strips. Bring to half-ready.
Chop the eggplant into cubes and add generous amounts of salt. Let sit for 5 minutes while the remaining ingredients are prepared. Then add water and squeeze vigorously with your hands. Drain everything and add to the cauldron.
Continue cooking for about 2 minutes. Then add bell pepper.
While it is stewing, wash the rice and drain all the moisture, add it to the cauldron.
Chop dried apricots and add them to the pilaf along with raisins.
Salt and pepper the surface of the rice and add prepared water.
Pilaf is prepared on the cooking mode for at least 15 minutes. Keep in mind that this recipe is a great way to diversify the menu, especially for vegetarians.

Pilaf with Uzbek chicken on a stove in a cauldron

A cauldron is used to cook pilaf in Eastern countries. This cookware provides uniform heating of the components and prevents burning. Unless, of course, you force it on purpose. If there is no cauldron, then use a deep roasting pan. In extreme cases, you can use other dishes, but always thick-walled ones.

1. Heat the oil in a cauldron. Take the specified amount. Otherwise, the finished dish will turn out too dietary, and most importantly dry. Which is not acceptable in any case.

2. Place three or four pieces of chicken on a slotted spoon. Transfer them to boiling oil and place in it. In the same way, send other prepared pieces to the cauldron. Do not lower your hands so as not to get burned. As a last resort, you can lower the pieces along the edge of the cauldron.

Hot oil will immediately seal the juice inside, and the surface will be covered with a golden brown crust. To obtain it, do not stir the chicken. After frying the first side, turn the pieces over to the other side. Fry the other side until crusty.

We salted and peppered the chicken in advance. If the fire was small, then all the juice would come out. But thanks to the boiling oil, not a drop was lost.

The oil has evaporated from the chicken skin. If this amount of fat is too much for you, then remove some of it with a ladle.

3. After obtaining a crust on the pieces of meat, add onions into the cauldron. Immediately mix the ingredients with a slotted spoon. Do this carefully to maintain the integrity of the browned meat.

4. Fry the onion while stirring until soft. Do not turn down the fire. Frying time will take 5-10 minutes. It depends on the thickness of the onion slices. That’s why you need to cut it thinner so as not to overcook the chicken.

Then pour in half a glass or a whole glass of water so that the onion boils down.

The amount of water depends on the volume of the dishes. Add the remaining spices, salt, pepper and barberry. Grind the zira in your palms over a cauldron and then pour it out.

5. Put the kettle on to warm up; we will soon need boiling water to pour over the rice.

6. When there is no water left in the cauldron, or remains completely at the bottom, add carrots.

Slightly lift the layer of meat and onions so that the carrots fall down the sides. But don't stir. Let the slice remain after cooking as long as it was cut.

We prepare pilaf according to the Samarkand scheme, where carrots and onions are not mixed. In the traditions of other regions of Uzbekistan, vegetables are mixed and only then rice is added.

The base we have prepared is called zirvak . The Uzbeks say: “Like the zirvak, so is the pilaf.” And this is fully true.

7. Drain the rice and place it on top of the carrots. Try to cover it tightly with cereal. When rice is scarce, as it is today, it is difficult. Some carrots are sticking out, but that's okay. The cereal will swell during cooking and hide the bright straw.

8. Prepare a slotted spoon and boiling water in a kettle. Pour the water over the rice through the holes in the slotted spoon, holding it just above the contents. The liquid will pour out in a large “rain”. If you pour directly into the cauldron, the rice will rise to the top and the carrots will float to the top. Therefore, this method of filling water is not used.

You need to pour a layer of water over the rice so that it covers it by 2 cm. Of course, we will not immerse the ruler in water. The measuring stick for masters of preparing pilaf is the index finger. Its phalanx corresponds to this size. But if you are afraid to put your finger in hot water, use a Chinese chopstick. Mark where the phalanx ends and check by lowering it into the liquid.

By the way, we still need a wand. So don't move it too far.

From legs

Pilaf with poultry meat can be prepared from chicken legs. Saves time on cutting up poultry carcasses. Therefore, this recipe is one of the easiest and fastest in home cooking.

Ingredients of pilaf with chicken:

Hips – 1 kg.
Rice – 300 g.
Garlic and onion 1 head each.
Carrots - 2 medium root vegetables.
Barberry – 1 tsp.
Zira – 1 tsp.
Lean fat – 7-8 tbsp.
Salt and pepper to taste.

KBJU for 100 g of dish:

Calorie content – 137 kcal.
Proteins – 6.8 g.
Fats – 5.7 g.
Carbohydrates – 15.9 g.

You can prepare delicious chicken pilaf by following the following steps step by step:

Rinse the thighs and, if necessary, remove excess fat from them.
Fry all the chopped vegetables in fat and then add the thighs to them. Mix everything vigorously, and over medium heat with constant stirring, bring to such a state that a golden brown crust appears on them.
Place pre-washed and soaked rice on top. Salt everything over the rice, spread out the barberries and cumin.
Add water until it reaches the rice. Place the cauldron on the divider and cook the pilaf until cooked, approximately 40-50 minutes.

Recipe for real Uzbek pilaf with chicken

Cooking rice for pilaf is also an arsenal of nuances and knowledge. We will consider this stage in detail in the section.

1. I would like to note one necessary detail - while the entire cooking process took place over high heat. It is important! Now we wait again for the water to boil. It gradually becomes a pleasant golden color. Properly chopped carrots do their job and give the dish a sunny color.

The water has boiled, let it simmer for 3-5 minutes and taste the broth for saltiness. For my taste, there was not enough salt, so I added another 1/4 tablespoon. Focus on your taste.

2. It's time to reduce the heat to medium. We don’t touch or interfere with anything. It is important! Don't be afraid, nothing will burn.

3. After 10-12 minutes, the surface broth will be absorbed into the cereal and it will swell.

After another couple of minutes, small holes will appear on the opened area (they can be seen in the photo). The steam will make them and will come out. Thus, the cereal will languish on all sides. Now it's time to make a mound.

4. Without disturbing the steam holes and without stirring anything, remove the rice from the edges of the cauldron using a slotted spoon. At the same time, move it upward. Form a slide. Remember how in childhood we built a house in the sandbox. They took sand from below and threw it on top. The middle remains untouched; the steam needed for the dish is concentrated there. He will bring the rice to the desired state. We only cover it slightly from above, forming a slide.

5. To ensure that all layers of cereal are steamed evenly, we will make holes in the mound. We have already used a Chinese stick, we will need it again. If you don’t have it at hand, take something similar, or even a spoon.

We stick it to the very bottom, and slightly rotating it, we get a conical hole. In this way we create passages for steam in 5-7 places. Through them, excess water will come out, the rice will turn out crumbly and certainly not like porridge.

6. Reduce heat to minimum. Close the lid and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

7. After 10 minutes, open the lid. Do not allow drops of condensation from it to fall back inside. See if there is any water left in the cauldron. In fact, it has most likely already boiled away. Do not confuse it with oil; its quantity along the walls is misleading. Let's try the rice, it's already ready. If there are some unsteamed grains left on top, transfer them, swapping places with the bottom ones. But don't stir.

8. Close the cauldron with a lid again, turn off the gas and cover the top with a towel. Leave to infuse for 15 minutes. If there is water left there that is invisible to us, during this time the rice will absorb it.

While the dish is infused and resting, set the table.

From chicken thighs

Since you can prepare chicken pilaf from different parts of the bird, you should not miss the opportunity to make this traditional recipe at home with thighs. With this meat, the dish will turn out to be very juicy, since the muscle fibers in this part of the bird are softer and not as dry as in the breast.

Pilaf components:

Devzira – 300 g.
Chicken thighs – 600 grams.
Onion – 300 g.
Carrots – 400 g.
Kidney fat – 100 g.
Garlic – 1 head.

Various spices, including hot red ground pepper or it can be replaced with capsicum - to taste.

KBJU for 100 g of dish:

Calorie content – 143 kcal.
Proteins – 4 g.
Fats – 7.6 g.
Carbohydrates – 16 g.

Recipe step by step:
In order for the pilaf recipe to turn out authentic, as it is prepared in the Caucasus, you need to take a cauldron with a large enough bottom so that the pieces of meat can be completely placed in it without chopping. If this is not the case, then the chicken thigh will have to be divided into two parts along the joint bone.

Peel all vegetables and be sure to cut into long strips, not very thin. This is necessary so that they do not turn into porridge during heat treatment.

Heat the fat and, when it is warm enough, make sure that the onions fried in it acquire a golden hue. Remember that the color of the vegetable affects the shade of the pilaf.
And then add carrots and bring them to a slightly soft state.
Then add the chicken thighs and fry them until crispy.
Then place the devzira, washed and pre-soaked for 15 minutes in clean water.
Pour water on top and press in the head of garlic. Don’t forget to first remove the top scales from it and cut off the root rosette. Salt the ingredients evenly on top.
Cover very tightly and cook for 50 minutes.

Crumbly Uzbek pilaf with chicken: serving and photo of pilaf

1. Chop the greens and sprinkle them over the finished dish. Dill, parsley and green onions will do. If you have basil, chop it too, it will also not be superfluous. Let's make a salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and fresh herbs, seasoned with vegetable oil, preferably olive oil. It is served at the table for various oriental dishes.

2. Purchase Uzbek flatbreads, or lavash as they are also called, in advance. Heat them in the microwave or oven. They will look like they came out of a tandoor. This bread is perfect for our dish.

3. The finished pilaf must be placed correctly on a plate. For this, a round dish is used, which in the East is called lyagan - or king of dastarkhan . We do not mix the components in the cauldron. First, rice is laid out and collected on top. Then carrots and chicken. And finally sprinkled with chopped herbs.

4. The dish is placed in the center of the table. It looks delicious. In Uzbekistan, rice is eaten with hands directly from the dish. We serve everyone with a plate and fork.

Here is our oriental dish and it’s ready! Eat to your heart's content and don't forget to ask for refills. And when the pilaf is over, you will see the lyagan ornament. Beautiful, like a mountain garden, sonorous, deep, painted with amazing signs. Know that when you ate, you absorbed the potter's good wishes along with your food. And of course the cook, because without good thoughts you can’t cook a real oriental dish!

After finishing the meal, immediately serve hot green tea. The rice will ask for a lot of water.

With mushrooms

Sometimes chicken pilaf may include ingredients such as wild or cultivated mushrooms. It is allowed to completely replace meat with mushrooms.

Pilaf components:

Basmati – 0.6 kg.
Oyster mushrooms – 400 g.
Ghee - 200 g or it can be replaced with vegetable oil in the amount of 150 ml.
Luke – 150 g.
Carrots – 300 g.
Tomatoes sun-dried in oil – 100 g.
Garlic – 1 head.
Paprika – 1 piece.
Green chili – 1 pod.
Granulated sugar – 1 tbsp.
Spices to taste.

KBJU for 100 g of dish:

Calorie content – 145 kcal.
Proteins – 4.2 g.
Fats – 7.3 g.
Carbohydrates – 17 g.

Step-by-step preparation of simple pilaf with mushrooms:

To make this recipe very quickly at home, it is better to take oyster mushrooms, as they do not require peeling. Wash them and chop them into small pieces.
Cut the bell pepper and chili into elongated strips.
Chop the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.
Pre-boil the oyster mushrooms in boiling water, which should be lightly salted, for 1 minute. Place in a colander and let drain.
Heat the fat in a cauldron and fry all the vegetables along with the mushrooms at the same time. This is done quite quickly - maximum 5 minutes.
Spices along with salt are added at this stage.
Rice is washed in several waters and placed in a cauldron with the rest of the ingredients. Just enough water is poured into the pilaf so that it is 0.5 cm above the surface of the cereal. Cover everything tightly with a lid and place on low heat for 50 minutes.

In pita bread

To prepare original pilaf, you can use sheets of ready-made pita bread. If you have kazmakh, you better cook in it. In this way, pilaf in pita bread can be served on the festive table.

Recipe Ingredients:

Whole chicken, no less than 1.5 kg.
Rice – 400 g.
Carrots – 300 g.
Onions – 200 g.
Garlic – 7 cloves.
Lavash – 2-3 large sheets.
Salt and spices - to taste.
Butter 100 g.
Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp.

KBJU for 100 g of dish:

Calorie content – 145 kcal.
Proteins – 4.2 g.
Fats – 7.3 g.
Carbohydrates – 16 g.

Step by step recipe for pilaf:

In a separate frying pan, fry chicken pieces in vegetable oil, adding onions and carrots at the same time.
Place sheets of lavash in a cauldron, having previously greased the inner surface with a small amount of butter.
Then place the chicken with zirvak (vegetables cooked in fat along with meat), and rice on top. Spread pieces of butter over the surface. Pour in about 100 g of water.
Fold the loose sheets of pita bread over the top, making sure that they fit tightly enough to each other.
Close everything with a lid and simmer for 40 minutes. To prevent the lavash sheets from burning on the bottom, place the cauldron on a divider.

With chicken wings

If you don't have a whole chicken, you can use wings. It is better to marinate them first, so the pilaf will have a pronounced taste and aroma.

Ingredients you will need to make the recipe:

Chicken wings – 1 kg.
White long grain rice – 400 g.
Onions – 400 g.
Carrots – 300 g.
Garlic – 1 head.
Quince – 1 large piece.
Barberry – 1 tbsp.
Zira – 1 tsp.
Salt - to taste.
Any fat – 100 ml

KBJU:

Calorie content – 139 kcal
Proteins – 7.7 g.
Fats – 5.9 g.
Carbohydrates – 16.3 g.

Step-by-step preparation:

Marinate the wings in all the spices, not forgetting to lightly salt and sprinkle with vegetable oil.
First fry the wings in fat until they are golden brown.
Add vegetables in strips and continue to warm slightly over low heat for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle washed rice on top.
Press a head of peeled garlic into it.
Add water, add salt and simmer for 40 minutes.

With eggplants

By adding eggplant to meat, you can not only get an excellent zirvak for pilaf, but also change the taste of the dish.

Ingredients for the eggplant zirvak recipe:

Chicken – 1 pc.
Devzira – 350 g.
Carrots – 400 g.
Onion – 200 g.
Garlic – 1 head.
Eggplant – 200 g.
Spices - to taste.
Vegetable oil – 100 ml.

KBJU:

Calorie content – 138 kcal
Proteins – 6.2 g.
Fats – 5.2 g.
Carbohydrates – 13.9 g.

Step-by-step pilaf recipe:

First fry the chicken pieces in a cauldron in vegetable oil, then place chopped onions and carrots on top.
Cut the eggplants into cubes and add heavy salt. Let stand for at least 5 minutes while the vegetables are cooked in the cauldron. Then fill them with water and rinse intensively, and squeeze to remove the bitterness.
Add to remaining ingredients.
Rinse the rice and immediately place it in a common container. Don't forget to add salt and spices. Add water level with the rest of the components and close tightly, bring to readiness for 40-50 minutes.