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Lebanese Cinnamon Chicken & Rice
If you want my advice, don’t even think twice about making this chicken and rice with all of the spice because is really, really nice!
I know cauliflower rice has probably had its low-carb hey day, but I’m still coming up with ways to revamp it into something delicious and not just like a mouthful of farts. With all these delicious spices, creamy tahina and fresh green herbs its a dinnertime win. Plus the crunch of the nuts and the sweet little pomegranate noms give it a total glow up.
- 500g cooked shredded chicken (see notes)
- 4 cups riced cauliflower (see notes)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 cup chicken stock/broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Black pepper to taste
To garnish…
- Fresh parsley leaves
- Pomegranate seeds
- Toasted pine nuts or flaked almonds
- Sprinkle of Aleppo chilli flakes
Tahina sauce…
- 1/3 cup tahina paste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Around 1/4 cup of warm water
Prepare chicken and veg.
Heat a few tablespoons of fat of choice (olive oil or coconut oil) in a pan over medium heat.
Sauté the onion and garlic to soften.
Add cauliflower rice and stir through. Add chicken stock and spices, salt and pepper. Cook until cauliflower has softened and liquid has reduced. Add shredded chicken back in along with lemon juice and mix well. Once chicken is heated through, plate up and garnish with herbs, pomegranate, nuts, chilli flakes & tahina sauce.
Serve with a salad of tomato and cucumber and tahina sauce.
To make sauce…
Mix tahina paste and lemon juice together. It will get really thick. Add the honey then loosen mixture with warm water, adding 1-2 tablespoons at a time until its the consistency you like.
Serves 4.
NOTES…
- For the chicken, you can either poach your own or shred up leftover or bought BBQ chicken. If making your own, lay 500g of chicken in a pot so they fit snugly. Cover with water to about an inch above chicken. Season well with salt and pepper. You can also chuck in a roughly chopped onion and some bay leaves. Bring to simmer, then lower heat right down until just the occasional bubble appears. Do this for about 12 minutes. Remove from heat, cover with lid, then let sit for another 12 minutes. Remove from water and shred. The poaching stock can be used for the stock in the recipe.
- For the cauliflower rice, just chop the cauliflower into florets and whizz in a food processor. You may need to do it in batches as too much at once will make you have to whizz too long which makes the cauliflower mushy. You want it in dry crumbles. You can also grate it into rice with a box grater.
