Moroccan-Inspired Chicken with Saffron Rice

There's Rice (and Chicken) at Home: Episode 3

Good morning! Welcome back to There’s Rice (and Chicken) at Home—a series where I share easy, flavour-packed chicken and rice recipes inspired by some of my favourite cuisines. This week, it’s my Moroccan-Inspired Chicken with Saffron Rice.

The chicken element takes inspiration from djaj m’hammar (or m’hammer), a Moroccan dish known for its rich, onion-heavy sauce spiced with paprika, ginger and saffron, among other things.

I’m very much a novice when it comes to Moroccan cuisine, but from my (limited) understanding, m’hammar refers both to the deep reddish colour of the dish—typically from paprika—and to the cooking method, where meat is roasted, grilled or fried to develop a deep mahogany hue. 

I want to be clear—this recipe is inspired by djaj m’hammar, not a faithful rendition of it. In keeping with the traditional flavour profile, I use smoked paprika, ginger and turmeric, but I also add tomato purée to deepen both the flavour and colour. And instead of grilling the chicken, I sear it, and then use the flavourful fond to cook the onions and build the sauce.

Since djaj m’hammar often includes saffron, and I knew I wanted to pair this chicken with rice, I made a simple but delicious saffron rice. If you’re nervous about cooking rice, don’t be! The absorption method I use is (virtually) foolproof.

Once you’ve cooked down your onions in butter, you simply add your washed rice and stock, bring everything to a simmer, then cover and cook on low for 12 minutes. Let it sit for 5 minutes off the heat, and there you have it—perfectly fluffy saffron rice!

I really hope you’ll give this one a go, and if you do, please let me know what you think!

Moroccan-Inspired Chicken with Saffron Rice

Serves 6

For the chicken:

• 1kg bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for cooking

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• ½ tsp ground turmeric

• 3 onions, thinly sliced

• 2 tbsp double-concentrated tomato purée

• 500ml chicken stock

For the rice:

• large pinch saffron threads

• 350g basmati rice

• 2 tbsp butter

• 1 onion, thinly sliced

• 500ml chicken stock

For the optional topping (makes it extra indulgent!):

• 2 heaped tbsp butter

• 1 heaped tbsp pistachios, roughly chopped

• 1 heaped tbsp dried cranberries

• small handful fresh coriander, parsley or chives, finely chopped (to garnish, not essential)

Method

1. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl with the oil, smoked paprika, cumin, ginger, turmeric and a generous pinch of salt. Toss to coat and leave to marinate for an hour (or overnight, if you can). If short on time, just let it sit while you slice the onions.

2. Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the chicken, skin-side down, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until browned, then flip and sear for another 3 minutes, or until browned on the other side. Transfer to a plate, leaving the oil in the pan. Note: The chicken won’t be cooked through at this stage–it’ll finish cooking in the sauce.

3. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until nice and soft, 10 to 12 minutes. 

4. Add the double concentrated tomato purée and cook, stirring frequently, until it darkens, 3 to 5 minutes. 

5. Pour in the stock, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Return the chicken to the pan. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a simmer, then cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, mix the saffron with 3 tbsp boiling water and leave to steep for 5 minutes. While it steeps, rinse the rice thoroughly under cold water until it runs clear, then drain well.

7. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, around 5 minutes.

8. Add the saffron water and stock, then season with salt, to taste—the liquid should be as seasoned as you want the finished rice to be.

9. Stir in the washed and drained rice, then turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low/medium-low and cook for 12 minutes.

10. Remove from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

11. For the topping, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pistachios and dried cranberries and cook, stirring frequently, until the pistachios start to toast, around 2 minutes.

12. To serve, spread the rice onto a large platter, top with the chicken and spoon over some of the sauce (serve the rest in a bowl at the table). Scatter over the topping and fresh herbs, if using, then serve.

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I hope you give this a go! I’ll be back next week with the next There’s Rice (and Chicken) at Home recipe — see you then!

Big love and happy cooking,

Zena x