The Best Lemon Chicken Rice
This lemon chicken rice is absolutely bursting with flavour and is easier than it looks! It's cozy, delicious and perfect for a dinner.
This is one dish my sisters and I always request my mom to make. It's just SO good and the chicken and masala (sauce?) carry this dish.
We were introduced to this dish by my aunt when we came back from a trip when I was a kid. She had already made this for us, waiting at our house and I swear, it was the best thing I've ever tasted.
Ever since then we always asked my mom to make it as well. I don't know if this a recipe made by others in Pakistan but now I'm sharing this gem with you guys because I can't let you stay deprived of it.
Ingredients for this Lemon Chicken Rice recipe
- Yellow Onions
- Oil - I use olive oil or avocado oil
- Tomatoes
- Ginger and Garlic paste
- Chicken legs - I use bone in, skinless legs
- Spices - red chilli powder, cumin, dried coriander, black pepper, turmeric, MSG - these spices bring so much flavour but if you don't have one, just skip it.
- Basmati rice - the star of the show!!
- Lemon - the lemon provides so much fragrance to the rice but is not eaten so I only use one cut into wedges. You can use more or cut them into slices
- Green chilli
Tips to make the best rice
- Cook the chicken and masala (the sauce) really well - My mom drilled it into me to cook it well at this stage because it can be the difference between making it good and making it amazing. Cooking it well to ensure all the flavours meld together and the chicken cooks well helps makes the final product all the better
- Add water when cooking the chicken mixture - As you cook the onions and tomatoes and then the chicken, you'll notice it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan and slightly begin to burn. Periodically keep adding a couple tablespoons of water as you cook, whenever you notice it starts to stick or burn.
- Parboil the rice - Anyone new to Pakistani or Indian rice dishes may be wary of cooking rice this way because there is no water to rice ratio. It's simply like cooking pasta and draining it. Don't wash it though.
- Don't overcook the rice - The rice will cooked a bit again in the oven so cooking it completely when boiling will result in mushy rice. To make sure its cooked enough, take a grain of rice out and press it between your fingers. It should be almost done but have the *slightest* bite to it.
- Baking the rice - The purpose of this step is to heat everything up together and kind of marry the flavours. You want to ensure you baked it long enough for it to develop steam.
Storing the Lemon Chicken Rice
Store the rice in an airtight container, in the fridge for about 5-7 days. Make sure to smell and look at it beforehand and use you own judgement.
FAQ
Can I make this in advance?
Yes! Just make the chicken masala and place it in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days until its ready to use. I recommend cooking the rice fresh though! You can also make and assemble this dish the night before and place in the fridge. Just take it out and bake until its all warmed up. You may need to bake for more than 20 minutes to get it warmed up all the way through.
Can I freeze this?
You can freeze the chicken masala for a month or two in a freezer-safe airtight container. Take out the night before and thaw before using. Cook the rice fresh and assemble as normal
Happy Cooking! 🫶🏼❤️
If you like chicken and rice dishes, check out this Machboos! A spiced chicken and rice dish from Bahrain and it's amazing.
Lemon Chicken Rice
Ingredients
- 2 - large yellow onions, sliced
- โ cup - oil (I use olive or avocado)
- 5 - medium tomatoes, chopped
- ยฝ teaspoon - salt
- 1 tablespoon - ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon - garlic paste
- ยฝ teaspoon - red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon - salt
- ยฝ tablespoon - cumin powder
- ยฝ tablespoon - dried coriander
- ยผ teaspoon - black pepper
- ยผ teaspoon - turmeric powder
- 7 - chicken legs, skinless
- 1 ยฝ cup - basmati rice
- 3-4 - whole green chili
- 1 -2 - lemon, sliced or quarter
- ยพ teaspoon - MSG
Instructions
- Heat up oil in a large pot and add in the onions and sautรฉ. Cook for a few minutes until they start to soften and add ยฝ teaspoon of salt and the ginger and garlic paste. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Once the onions have completely softened, add in the tomatoes and cook on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until the tomatoes and onions have completely broken down and it releases oil. This means the oil appears at the top of the mixture. As you cook this mixture, it if starts to stick or burn at the bottom of the pan, add some water to release it and make sure it cooks evenly. Repeat as necessary.
- Add the salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, black pepper and MSG and stir until combined. Add in the chicken stir well.
- Cook until the chicken turns white on the outside and add in the cumin powder and dried coriander.
- At this point, while the chicken is cooking, wash your rice and leave it to soak for about 30 minutes.
- Continue cooking until the chicken is completely cooked through, for about 20-25 minutes. Once done, take off heat and set aside.
- Heat up a large pot and fill with water. Bring it to a boil and salt it well. Add in the rice and parboil it. Basically cook until it's almost done and still has a slight bit of bite left to it.
- Drain the rice. Like how you you would make pasta.
- Preheat the oven to 350โ.
- Add half the rice to a 9x13" tray and even it out. Layer the chicken and evenly spread the 'masala" or the sauce across the rice. Cover evenly with the rest of the rice
- Now for chillies, cut a slit down the length of them but don't cut them all the way through. Sprinkle in salt in the cut and rub it in.
- In a small pan, heat up 1-2 tablespoon oil and add in the chillies. Cook until they develop color on both sides. The oil will start splattering so make sure to cover with a lid
- Place the chillies on the rice and drizzle the chilli oil on the rice.
- Add the lemon slices or wedges in the corners of the pan or with the chillies down the middle. Cover with foil and place in the oven for about 20 minutes. After the 5 minute mark, reduce the oven temperature to 300โ
- Take it out and plate and enjoy! You dont need any condiemnts with this rice because the layering provides enough 'sauciness' BUT you can pair it with some yogurt or cilantro chutney if you prefer. Squeeze the lemon on the rice as well!
Huzaifah Sheikh says
I tried it and tbh it taste was so much delightful and unique. Thanks for sharing the recipe