Whole chicken pilaf recipe. Delicious homemade pilaf with chicken. Chicken pilaf - step-by-step recipe with photos

They prepare it for all occasions: anniversaries, weddings, tragic events. There are approximately 130 recipes for its preparation. This is a fairly filling dish, but not too heavy on the stomach. Traditional classic Uzbek pilaf is cooked with lamb in a cauldron over an open fire. But not everyone likes lamb, and pork meat is quite fatty, so the best option is pilaf with chicken. It is dietary, it can be eaten for various stomach diseases, and it is the most inexpensive in price. Therefore, everyone can afford to cook chicken pilaf.

Pilaf with chicken. Classic Uzbek recipe

In the modern world, it is not always possible to cook pilaf over a fire, but you should not refuse such a wonderful dish because of this. And on a regular stove, at home, it turns out very tasty if you follow the proportions correctly and know the intricacies of cooking. As you know, there is never too much pilaf, and if you don’t eat it all at once, then due to the fact that the dish sits in the refrigerator, it will not lose its taste, so you can safely cook it in large quantities. How to cook Uzbek pilaf with chicken? The recipe will be presented to your attention below. It serves 8-10 servings.

Ingredients

The recipe for Uzbek pilaf with chicken is quite simple. For cooking we will need the following products:

  • Chicken meat - 1 kilogram (it is advisable to take fattier meat so that the pilaf does not turn out dry, legs are perfect, it is not recommended to use only chicken breasts).
  • Rice - half a kilogram (use exclusively hard varieties of long-grain rice; ideally, if it is the devzir variety, it can be purchased on the market without any problems).
  • Vegetable oil - at least half a glass.
  • Carrots - half a kilogram.
  • Onions - a little less than half a kilogram.
  • Garlic - 2 heads (it is not advisable to take young garlic).
  • Salt, pepper and spices for pilaf as desired.

Preparation

So, how is chicken pilaf prepared? According to (Uzbek recipe) technology, you must adhere to the following instructions:

  1. Peel the onion, cut it into two halves and leave it in a container with cold water. Meanwhile, wash and cut the meat into medium pieces of approximately the same size. Set the meat aside, take out the onion and cut it into very thin half rings. Then chop the carrots. In order to get real Uzbek pilaf, vegetables need to be cut into thin long strips, and not grated on a coarse grater. The color of the pilaf depends on the amount of carrots put in it. In Uzbekistan, there is a recipe without carrots, the pilaf turns out white, it is called wedding, and it is prepared exclusively for this celebration.
  2. Place an empty cooking container over medium heat and pour in vegetable oil. After it is warm enough, carefully throw the onion into it, stirring, bring it to medium-rare and add the meat to the pan. There is no need to bring it to full readiness, just lightly fry it, about 5-7 minutes. Then add carrots. No need to wait until all the ingredients are ready. The required readiness of carrots can be determined by their appearance: when stirred, they should bend well. Add salt, pepper and other spices. When the carrots are ready, you need to add boiling water so that the water covers all the ingredients. Simmer over low heat for at least 20 minutes. Be sure to taste for salt. The broth should be salty. The rice will absorb some of the salt during cooking. This broth is called zirvak. It can be prepared in advance so that the process does not drag on. There is a belief that the longer zirvak is stewed, the tastier the pilaf turns out.
  3. Add rice to the zirvak, after washing it well. Next, cook the pilaf until the rice has absorbed almost all the water.
  4. Wash the garlic, but do not cut it. Make a small depression in the almost finished rice and put garlic there. Close the lid tightly, reduce the heat to low and wait for 15 minutes. Then remove the container from the heat, wrap the pan with pilaf in a towel and let it brew for 20 minutes.
  5. The dish is ready. You can serve it to the table and delight your guests.

Uzbek pilaf. Recipe in a slow cooker (with chicken)

A multicooker is a very convenient invention that greatly simplifies the cooking process, and most importantly, saves precious time.

In a slow cooker you can cook anything, from simple porridges to unsurpassed biscuits. You can also make real pilaf in it, which will not be much different from the famous national Uzbek dish.

Multicookers come in different sizes, but in general they are not designed to cook a large volume of one dish, so the following recipe is not designed for a large number of servings. In addition, if when preparing pilaf in a saucepan or cauldron it is recommended to take the fattier parts of the chicken, then in a slow cooker you can make an excellent dish with chicken fillet.

Required Components

So, to prepare Uzbek pilaf with chicken (recipe with photos in the article), you will need the following products:

  1. Two medium chicken breasts.
  2. Durum rice - 1 cup.
  3. Vegetable oil - about half a glass (you can also use butter).
  4. Onion - 1 pc.
  5. Carrots - 1 pc.
  6. Drinking water - approximately two and a half glasses.
  7. Salt, pepper, seasonings.

Cooking instructions

The recipe for Uzbek pilaf with chicken involves the following steps:

  1. Turn on the multicooker to fry mode, add oil. While it is heating, cut the meat into small pieces. When the oil is hot, add the meat and fry for 10 minutes.
  2. While the meat is fried, you need to cut the onion into half rings and the carrots into thin strips. Add to the slow cooker and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
  3. Add well-washed rice, spices and salt to the bowl of the device, fry for another 5 minutes on the same program. This is necessary so that the rice is saturated with oil and the pilaf is not dry.
  4. Add water to the multicooker and turn on the “Pilaf” or “Rice” program. The time is usually set automatically. After the end of the program, let it brew for 20 minutes, after which you can serve.

Secrets of cooking Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron

If you have the opportunity to go out into nature, on vacation, in addition to traditional barbecue, you can make real Uzbek pilaf over a fire and in a cauldron, as it should be. To prepare such a dish you will need the following products (all main ingredients must be taken on a one-to-one basis, except for onions, which are slightly smaller):

  • Durum rice.
  • Chicken meat.
  • Carrots (the same quantity as rice).
  • Garlic.
  • Vegetable oil.
  • Salt, pepper, spices, barberry.

How to cook?

The recipe for Uzbek pilaf with chicken in a cauldron is quite simple. The following instructions must be followed:

  1. Cut the meat, onion into rings and carrots into strips. Rinse the rice and garlic well without peeling it.
  2. Heat the oil in a cauldron, fry the onion, add the meat, and a little later - carrots, salt and spices. After a short frying, add boiling water and simmer over low heat, the longer the better, as long as time allows, but not less than half an hour.
  3. When the zirvak is ready, you need to pour rice into it and add water if necessary. It is advisable to check for salt.
  4. Cook over low heat until fully cooked, then add whole heads of garlic and simmer for another 15 minutes, then remove the cauldron from the fire and let the pilaf brew.

Now you know recipe for Uzbek pilaf with chicken, and more than one. Please your family and friends. Bon appetit!

If you don't know what to cook, the easiest and fastest way is doincredibly tasty and appetizing pilaf with chicken in a pan. It is suitable not only for a hearty family dinner, but also for serving at the holiday table. Since chicken meat is considered one of the healthiest and lightest, this dish is also suitable for a children's menu.

Using a simple recipe for pilaf with chicken in a pan, you will always get a tasty and satisfying dish. There is no need to resort to complex manipulations or have special culinary knowledge. It’s enough just to have simple and affordable products on hand, a convenient pan and an hour of free time.

Step-by-step recipe for pilaf with chicken in a pan

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Number of servings: 6

Ingredients:

  • Chicken fillet - 500 g
  • Rice (long grain) - 2 cups
  • Onion - 1-2 pcs.
  • Garlic - 1 head
  • Vegetable oil - 70-100 ml
  • Carrots - 1 pc.
  • Water - 3-4 glasses
  • Zira - 1 tsp.
  • Turmeric - 1 tsp.
  • Peppercorns (allspice) - 1/2 tsp.
  • Salt - to taste

How to cook chicken pilaf in a pan

Before you cook chicken pilaf in a pan, you need to prepare vegetables and meat. Chicken fillet can be replaced with any part of the chicken carcass, but in this case you will need 200-300 grams more of it. You can use any rice, but long-grain cereals will look most impressive in pilaf.


Place the rice in a deep bowl and mix well. Pour cold water over the cereal and drain off any floating grains. After this, rinse the rice grains in running water at least 5-6 times. Preparing cereals is a very important and crucial moment in preparing pilaf. If you do not wash out all the excess starch, the cereal will stick together and you will no longer get crumbly chicken pilaf in the pan.


If you are using hard Asian rice, soak the rinsed rice in cold water and let sit for 20 minutes. If you're using inexpensive long-grain rice, it's likely to be soft and rinsing will suffice. Just pour it into a sieve and strain out any excess liquid.


One medium head of onion must be peeled, rinsed in cold water and chopped into thin rings.


Wash the carrots, peel and chop into thin strips.


There are two main options for making pilaf with chicken in a pan - with and without frying the food. If you decide to prepare a dietary dish, there is no need to fry onions, carrots and meat on the spot. To make the vegetables softer and cook faster, grate the carrots and cut the onion into small cubes.


Cut the chicken fillet into thin strips or square pieces. If you are using a whole carcass, chop it so that the pieces are approximately the same size.


Pour vegetable oil into a saucepan and heat well. When a slight smoke appears, put pieces of meat into it.


Before cooking chicken pilaf in a pan, fry the cumin in a small amount of oil. This will give the finished dish a pleasant nutty aroma. If you are preparing a dietary version, simply add the cumin along with the meat and vegetables and lightly bake in a hot pan, without adding fat.


Add onions and carrots to the fried meat, stir and saute the products together for a few more minutes. When the onions and carrots are soft and not brittle, add spices and salt.


Pour hot water over the food, stir well again and cover the pan with a lid. Cook the pilaf base for 10 minutes over medium heat until the meat is cooked.


You can use another way to cook chicken pilaf in a pan - make zirvak separately in a frying pan. This method is suitable for preparing meat and cereal parts of a dish separately.

Place the prepared cereal into the prepared zirvak. At this stage, you can stir the dish and add salt and other spices to taste. After adding rice, you cannot stir the dish, otherwise you will not get pilaf, but ordinary porridge with meat and vegetables.




Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat and cook the pilaf until tender for another 15-20 minutes. During this time, all the liquid should be absorbed, and the rice will be slightly undercooked. Without opening the lid, move the pan to the switched off raft and leave to steam for 10 minutes until cooked.

Transfer the finished chicken pilaf in the pan to any flat plate and serve.


Fresh and salted vegetables, salads and fresh herbs are suitable as snacks.

  • Knowing the basic recipe for how to cook pilaf with chicken in a pan, you can prepare this dish in any quantity. Simply increase or decrease the amount of ingredients proportionally.
  • Since chicken fillet turns out to be quite dry when cooked, you can add a piece of lard or lamb fat.
  • Before how to cook chicken pilaf in a pan, Make sure that the bottom of the cookware is not damaged. Do not use enamel dishes; the pilaf will burn in it.

Pilaf with chicken in a pan video

Pilaf for 4-5 servings

  • Rice (my husband likes crumbly pilaf, for him I take long-grain, and when I make it to my liking, then short-grain) 400 g;

  • Chicken chicken legs 5-6 pieces (small);
  • Medium carrots 3 pcs;

  • Onion 2 medium heads;

  • Garlic 5 small cloves;
  • Vegetable oil (I used corn oil);
  • Salt;
  • Ground pepper.

Let's start cooking chicken pilaf at home

  1. Take the rice and rinse it with water. I often use rice from bags for cooking, so I don’t rinse it, but simply pour hot boiled water over it and let it steep.
  2. Meanwhile, we cut the carrots into small slices, sometimes I grate them on a coarse grater (it also turns out delicious).

3. Cut the onion into small squares.

4. Rinse the chicken legs with water.

If you have a cast iron pan, then it will work just fine. If not, then it is better to choose a pan with thicker walls.
I use a cast iron pan:
— I pour in vegetable oil, after the oil is hot, I throw in the onions.
— I fry until golden brown, the main thing is not to burn, otherwise it will have a bitter taste.


— I add chicken legs and salt. Stir and fry for 10 minutes over high heat.
— I put the carrots on top, without stirring, I make the flame quieter, cover with a lid and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

I drain my rice and add it to the pan, adding two glasses of water. Stir, cover with a lid and leave to cook for 15-20 minutes. then open the lid, without stirring, insert the garlic cloves deeper into the rice, cover with the lid again, simmer for another 5-10 minutes

Distribute carrots evenly

PILAF IS READY!
Before serving, I remove all the legs from the pilaf so as not to damage them, mix them well, put them on a plate for everyone, and put chicken legs on top.
As you can see, preparing chicken pilaf at home is not at all difficult!

Bon Appetit!

There are a huge number of pilaf recipes. In different regions they prepare it in their own way, so you cannot say: this is pilaf and this is not pilaf. Pilaf can be vegetarian, and it can also be prepared with fish rather than meat. In this recipe I will tell you how to cook pilaf with chicken. This is not difficult to do, the main thing is to follow the basic rules that will allow you to cook fluffy rice and tasty meat.

The basis of pilaf is meat, rice and carrots. As well as specific spices that give a special aroma to the dish.

Also read. This is another great way to use up meat and rice.

Small secrets of delicious pilaf:

  • carrots should be taken 1:1 with rice. That is, for 1 kg of rice, take 1 kg of carrots;
  • carrots for pilaf are never grated. The carrots need to be cut into large enough pieces so that they can be felt in the finished dish and not be too boiled;
  • rice is always cooked together with meat and vegetables, and not separately, like porridge;
  • Real pilaf always contains cumin, barberry, and turmeric. Or you can take a good pilaf spice mixture with these ingredients;
  • pilaf with chicken is cooked over high heat, only at the final stage the heating is minimal and the pilaf is covered with a lid;
  • the rice is not mixed with the meat during cooking. The rice is on top of the chicken.

Chicken pilaf: step-by-step cooking recipe

Ingredients:

  • chicken - 1 pc.
  • rice - 1 kg
  • onions - 2 pcs.
  • carrots - 1 kg
  • garlic - 2-3 heads
  • cumin - 1 tsp.
  • turmeric - 2 tsp.
  • ground black pepper, paprika, salt - to taste
  • seasoning for pilaf - 1 tbsp.
  • vegetable oil for frying - 150 ml

Step-by-step preparation of pilaf with chicken.

1.First you need to cut up the chicken. Wash it well first, then chop it into small portions. The most convenient way to do this is with a large cleaver that can cut through the bones. Before cutting into pieces, cut the chicken in half lengthwise along the breast, cut out the backbone (you can save it for broth for soup). You can also remove the bones from the legs and chop just the meat if you wish.

2. Peel the carrots and cut into large strips, about 4 cm long.

3.Wash the head of garlic and cut off the top, as shown in the photo. Pour vegetable oil (about 150 ml) into a cauldron or deep frying pan, place the garlic cut side down in it and let the oil warm up thoroughly. The oil is considered ready when the garlic is well fried. Remove the fried garlic from the pan. The oil has already been saturated with its smell and has become aromatic.

4.After removing the garlic, place the chopped meat in the cauldron. Fry the chicken over high heat for about 10 minutes. The meat should be fried. There is no need to stir often, otherwise the chicken will release more juice and stew. But also be careful not to burn the meat.

5. Set the water to boil separately, with which you will pour the pilaf. Do not fill it with cold water.

6.Rinse the rice several times until the water runs clear. Better yet, rinse and leave the rice in water to remove excess starch. When the time comes to add rice, wash it again.

7.Add chopped onion to the fried chicken. The onion can be cut into half rings or large cubes. Fry for 2-3 minutes and add carrots.

8. When fried, carrots turn the vegetable oil orange. And subsequently all the pilaf will be beautiful. Of course, turmeric in turn will give yellow color to rice.

9.When the carrots and onions are fried, the oil turns orange, add spices and salt to the pilaf (turmeric, cumin, barberry or a mixture of pilaf seasonings). Stir.

10.Place washed rice on top of the chicken and smooth it out. You can’t mix rice with meat, just put the cereal on top.

11.Wash two heads of garlic, clean the base a little so that no dirt remains. Cut off a few tops from the heads so that the garlic releases its oil better. Place the garlic heads in the rice, cut side down. Salt the rice, but remember that the meat is already salted.

12.Pour boiling water over the pilaf. The water should be two fingers higher than the rice. All this time the pilaf was cooked over high heat. After laying the rice and pouring water over it, the fire should also be strong. There is no need to close the lid. Cook the pilaf in this way with active boiling and water boiling away until the rice appears (about 5-7 minutes).

13.When the rice is already visible, reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer in this way until the rice is ready, until all the water has evaporated. At the same time, it is not advisable to often open the lid and check. Leave the pilaf for 20 minutes without touching it. The cooking time for the rice will depend on the type of rice you use. Unpolished rice will take longer to cook—about 30 minutes. And the steamed one will be ready in 15.

14.When all the water has evaporated, do not open the lid!, but turn off the heat and leave the pilaf to cook for another 10-15 minutes.

15.After this time, open the lid, inhale the wonderful aroma and mix the resulting pilaf well.

16.The rice in pilaf should be crumbly. If you cook according to this recipe, then everything should definitely work out.

Here is such a simple recipe. But the pilaf turns out simply magical! Prepare, following all the recommendations, and your chicken pilaf will be crumbly, aromatic, appetizing and beautiful.

Today I want to offer you a recipe for pilaf with chicken. Yes, not just any one, but the real thing. Yes, yes... one where every grain of rice comes away from the grain of rice, and they don’t stick together like in porridge. With the correct proportions of products and the correct cooking time. Of course, you will have to work hard, because a real Uzbek dish does not tolerate inaccuracies. But the result will be simply amazing - I guarantee you that!

The finished dish will turn out the way it is prepared in Uzbekistan. Do you want one? Then let's not hesitate! The recipe is given with a step-by-step description, follow step by step, and the result will not take long to arrive. In 1.5 hours, aromatic, steaming and divinely delicious pilaf will be on your table.

How to cook pilaf with chicken

We will need (for 8-10 servings):

  • chicken - 1 kg.
  • onion - 1 kg.
  • carrots - 1 kg.
  • rice - 0.5 kg.
  • garlic - 2 heads
  • vegetable oil - 0.5 cups
  • spices - cumin, coriander, rosemary
  • salt - half a tablespoon
  • ground red and black pepper - to taste

Preparation:

1. Prepare the chicken. I had a 1.4 kg carcass. From it I cut off the wings, the spine and parts with thin ribs. The net weight remains a little more than 1 kg. I cut the washed and dried chicken into equal pieces, each half into 7 parts.

2. 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 peel, then you can place the cut halves in water at room temperature for 2-3 minutes, this will clean them better and faster.

3. Cut the onions into two halves 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; when held up to light, they should be almost transparent. We throw away the remaining tails.

4. 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, carrots should be medium or large in size. The appearance of the pilaf depends on how correctly you cut the carrots. As a rule, the mistake is that the carrots are cut into pieces that are too thick and too short. You must first cut diagonally with long plates no more than 0.5 cm thick, and then with long strips of the same thickness.

Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to describe the process of cutting carrots in words, so I found a suitable video. Here you can see how it should be done.

5. Garlic must be cleaned from the upper dusty leaves, and cut off to the very base where the root was located. There may be some earth left there, but we don’t need it at all in a dish. When the garlic has been peeled, yes, you need to save the whole head, wash it and put it in water to drain.

6. Prepare rice. For cooking, I use long steamed rice, preferably yellow. There is no need to pre-soak this rice; you just need to rinse it thoroughly under running water.

7. Heat the oil in a cauldron. To cook pilaf, it is best to use a cauldron; it cooks quickly, evenly, and most importantly, it definitely won’t burn. In extreme cases, you can use other, but always thick-walled dishes. You need to take half a glass of oil, no less, otherwise it will turn out too dietary, and most importantly dry.

8. Place the chicken in the hot oil, lowering it along the edge of the cauldron. There is no need to salt or pepper it in advance. This way, all the juice will remain in the chicken, and the meat will turn out juicy. Mix immediately with a slotted spoon. Until the meat is fried, it will cling to the walls of the cauldron. Therefore, it must be stirred periodically.

9. After about 10 minutes, all the meat turned white, and in some places slightly browned. It's time to plant the onions.

10. While the chicken and onions are frying, we do not reduce the heat; we fry everything over high heat. It will take about 15 minutes for the onion to completely fry, maybe a little more or less. It depends on the amount of onion and how juicy it is. The juicier the onion, the better. Today I roasted it for about 20 minutes.

11. When the onions have completely softened and become almost transparent, it’s time to add the carrots. Add spices along with carrots. Mandatory spices for pilaf are cumin (cumin) and coriander. Add a tablespoon of cumin. You can rub it between your palms right above the cauldron, so it will release even more aroma. Coriander, ground of course, a teaspoon with a small pile.

Other spices can be added, or you can limit yourself to just these. Add thyme, rosemary, herbs, turmeric and saffron. I also added half a teaspoon of turmeric for color. Although there are a lot of carrots, they will still give the desired color.

You also need to add ground black pepper, depending on how much you like, I added a little less than a teaspoon. And ground red hot pepper, a pinch will be enough - for aroma and taste. Add salt immediately. For now, half a tablespoon will be enough. Mix everything. The smell is already permeating the whole house! He probably also went outside the house...

12. Put a kettle of water to boil. We will need boiling water.

13. While everything was being added and mixed, the carrots were already limp - for this it needs no more than 5 minutes. Our zirvak is ready. Zirvak is the basis of any pilaf. “Like the zirvak, so is the pilaf,” say the Uzbeks! And this is actually true. Only we have one more component left for this base - garlic.

14. Place the heads of garlic in the center, directly sticking them between the carrots and the chicken. Next we lay out the rice, from which all the water has previously been drained. Distribute it evenly over the entire surface, covering the chicken and carrots. Let the garlic sticks stick out, they won’t bother us.

15. Pour boiling water through the holes in the slotted spoon. If you pour water directly on the rice, all the carrots will float, but for us it is important to leave them at the bottom. By carefully pouring water through a slotted spoon, we will not damage our layered structure.

Water should be poured approximately 2 cm above the rice level. Of course, we will not immerse the ruler in water.

The measuring stick for masters of preparing pilaf is the index finger. The phalanx of the first finger approximately corresponds to this size. But if you are afraid to put your finger in hot water, use a Chinese chopstick. Mark where the first phalanx ends and check by lowering it into the liquid. Moreover, we still need a wand.

16. I would like to note one important detail - so far everything we have done has been done over high heat. This is important! Now we wait for the water to boil. It gradually becomes a pleasant golden color; properly chopped carrots do their job and give their wonderful color to the dish.

The water has boiled, let it simmer for 3-5 minutes and try not the water, but rather the broth for salinity. There wasn't enough salt for my taste, so I added another 1/4 tablespoon.

17. Now the heat needs to be reduced to medium. We don’t touch or interfere with anything. This is important! Don't be afraid, nothing will burn.

18. After about 10-12 minutes, all the broth will be absorbed into the rice and it will swell. And small holes will appear all over the surface of the rice (They are clearly visible in the photo), steam will make them and will come out. Now is the time to make a mound.

19. Without disturbing the steam holes and without stirring anything, simply peel the rice from the edge of the cauldron using a slotted spoon and forming a mound. 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, it will bring the rice to the desired state. We only cover it slightly from above, forming a slide.

20. And we will help him a little with this. We have a Chinese chopstick somewhere nearby, if you don’t have it at hand, take something similar, or even a spoon. Use a stick to make larger holes.

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

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

22. After 10 minutes, open the lid, water from the lid should not get back inside, and see if there is any water left in the cauldron. In fact, it should no longer remain. Not to be confused with oil, it can be misleading. Let's try the rice, it's already ready.

23. Close the lid again, turn off the gas and cover 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 completely absorb it.

24. During this time, chop the greens and sprinkle them on the finished dish. If you have basil, chop it too, it will also not be superfluous. And let's make a salad. A salad of cucumbers and tomatoes with bell peppers and fresh herbs, seasoned with vegetable oil, preferably olive oil, works well.

25. Nowadays it’s not difficult to buy flatbreads, or lavash as they are also called. Purchase in advance and heat them in the microwave or oven. This bread is perfect for pilaf.

26. The finished pilaf should be placed correctly on a large flat plate. Usually a large dish is used, which in Uzbekistan is called lyagan - or king of dastarkhan. First, rice is laid out, then carrots and chicken. Sprinkle with chopped herbs on top. And everything is topped with garlic.

27. The dish is placed in the center of the table. In Uzbekistan, everyone eats crayfish from a common dish. We serve everyone with a plate and fork.


Our wonderful dish is ready! Eat to your health and don’t forget about the supplement. And when all the pilaf is eaten, you will see a lyagan. 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 good pilaf!

Some cooking nuances

  • As you probably noticed, this quantity of products is designed for 8-10 servings. Why this calculation? When Uzbeks cook pilaf, they say that one serving requires 1 medium bowl of raw rice, which is about 50 grams. Moreover, other products are not taken into account; only rice is always considered. We have 500 grams of rice, which means 10 servings. Some people get larger portions, which means for 8 people.
  • In general, today I cooked for 5 people. But there is never too much pilaf; it is never cooked back to back. Someone will want more... And on the second day it is no worse than on the first.
  • I have another serious deviation from the cooking rules. There should be only 1 kg of meat, onions, and carrots. But I always break this rule. The meat turns out very tasty, and as a rule there is never enough of it. It's a shame! Therefore, so that everyone can eat to their heart’s content, I am increasing this component.
  • I break the rule, and every time I say: “You can’t spoil pilaf with meat!” By the way, no one has ever noticed this violation; on the contrary, everyone seems to even like it!
  • a very important point for beginners in cooking pilaf! When I first learned to cook it, I always had a problem - how much water should I pour into the rice? My rice turned out either undercooked or overcooked, and this caused me great annoyance! I adapted as best I could and tried to achieve the desired result.
  • The fact is that they used to cook pilaf from the rice they had. Now it’s steamed or unsteamed, long or short... choose which one you need. And I’ll say right away that the result from steamed rice is always predictable. If you follow the recipe, there will be no surprises.
  • but still, if a surprise happens, I will share my experience, which I gained through trial and error when I was studying. If suddenly all the water from the rice has already boiled away, and the rice is still hard, then add a little boiling water to each hole made, and cover with a lid, putting it on low heat.
  • if, on the contrary, you poured more water than necessary, then turn up the heat to maximum and try to let the water boil away quickly. Then make a slide, holes in it, and continue with the recipe. But leave it under the towel not for 15, but for 20-25 minutes.

Otherwise there shouldn't be any problems. And if you have any questions, ask, I will be happy to answer them.

And regarding today’s dish, I will say one thing, today I had guests who ate my pilaf not for the first time, and not for the second. They ate it, saw the lyagan... then they filled it again, ate it again... At first they were silent, but smacked their lips with pleasure. Then, having already eaten, they began to praise. It actually turned out very tasty and aromatic (the photos really didn’t turn out very well - I’m still just learning how to do this). But it’s not a shame to serve such pilaf in Uzbekistan.

How could it be otherwise, because today I cooked not only for my guests, but also for you, dear readers. So that you would want and, most importantly, be able to cook the same wonderful and tasty chicken dish.

And in conclusion, I’ll tell you the legend about pilaf.

She talks about how when the Great Tamerlane was getting ready for his next military campaign, one mullah taught him how to cook his delicious pilaf: “You need to take a large cast-iron cauldron. It must be so old that the fat from the previous food oozes from the outside and catches fire when the fire hits it.

In this cauldron you need to put the meat of not old, but not very young lambs, selected rice, swelling with pride, which will be eaten by brave warriors, young carrots, blushing with joy, and sharp onions, stinging like the sword of a highly respected emir.

All this must be cooked over a fire until the smell of the cooked dish reaches God, and the cook collapses in exhaustion because he has tasted the divine food.”

By the way, how to cook this, I also have a ready-made recipe.

Bon appetit!