Kabuli Palaw (One-Pot Chicken, Rice, Carrots and Raisins)

Then prep

• Pat the 2 lb chicken thighs dry. Season them with 1/2 tsp of the salt. Leave them on a plate.
• Halve the onion and slice it thin. Put it in a bowl.
• Grate the 4 garlic cloves into a small bowl.
• Add the 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cardamom, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves and 1 tsp pepper to the garlic bowl. This is the spice bowl.
• Cut the 3 carrots into thin matchsticks. Put them in a bowl.
• Measure out the 3 cups broth and the remaining 1 1/2 tsp salt.
• Put the 1/2 cup raisins and 1 tsp sugar in a small bowl.
• Measure out the 1/3 cup nuts.
• Set out a Dutch oven with a tight lid, a kitchen towel, a skillet, a plate for the chicken and a platter.
• Everything is ready. Wash the board and put the knife away.

Ingredients

• 2 cupsbasmati rice
• 2 lbboneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved
• 2 tspsalt, divided
• 3 tbspneutral oil
• 1 largeyellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 clovesgarlic, grated
• 1 1/2 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground cardamom
• 1/2 tspground cinnamon
• 1/4 tspground cloves
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 3 cupschicken broth
• 2 tbspbutter
• 3carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
• 1/2 cupraisins
• 1 tspsugar
• 1/3 cupsliced almonds or shelled pistachios

Steps

1. Heat the 3 tbsp oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high until it shimmers.
2. Add the chicken in a single layer. Brown 3 minutes, until golden.
3. Flip the chicken. Brown 3 minutes on the other side, until golden.
4. Move the chicken to the plate.
5. Turn the heat to medium. Add the onion.
6. Cook the onion 10 to 12 minutes, until deep brown. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Stir every minute or two. Stay at the stove. The deep brown gives the rice its color.
7. When the onion is deep brown, add the spice bowl. Stir 1 minute.
8. Return the chicken and its juices to the pot.
9. Add the 3 cups broth and the remaining 1 1/2 tsp salt.
10. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Set a timer for 15 minutes. While it simmers: wash the chicken plate and wipe the counter.
11. When the timer goes, drain the rice in the sieve.
12. Stir the rice into the pot. Bring it back to a boil.
13. Lay the kitchen towel over the pot and put the lid on tight over it.
14. Turn the heat to the lowest setting. Cook 20 minutes. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Do not lift the lid. While it cooks, do the next three steps on the skillet.
15. Melt the 2 tbsp butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until tender.
16. Add the raisin and sugar bowl. Cook 2 minutes, until the raisins plump. Move everything to a bowl.
17. Toast the 1/3 cup nuts in the same skillet, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until fragrant. Take the skillet off the heat. Wait for the rice timer.
18. When the rice timer goes, take the pot off the heat. Leave it covered 10 minutes. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Nothing to do until the timer goes.
19. When the timer goes, fluff the rice and chicken with a fork.
20. Pile it onto the platter. Top with the carrots, raisins and nuts.

Notes

A weeknight version. The traditional palaw uses bone-in lamb, cooks the rice separately and finishes it in the oven. These are our own versions in the Milk Street style, not recipes from the book. Written from the standard method, not yet cooked.