Spiced chicken & date pilaf

Name: Spiced chicken & date pilaf
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 250 g white basmati rice; 30 g unsalted butter; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 clove/s garlic, finely chopped; 380 g pack Chicken Breast Fillets, cut into bitesized chunks; 1 tbsp Cooks' Ingredients Ras El Hanout; 4 Medjool Dates, pitted and chopped; 1 tsp ground allspice; 1 cinnamon stick; 500 ml fresh chicken stock; 260 g pack spinach; Roughly chopped dill and lemon wedges, to serve

A simple yet wonderfully fragrant baked rice dish with hints of winter spice and a sticky sweetness from the dates. Stylish and contemporary, use our Cast Iron casserole to cook the perfect fluffy rice.

4 out of 5 stars(2) Rate this recipe

HealthyHigh protein1 of your 5 a day

Serves4
CourseMain meal
Prepare10 mins
Cook45 mins
Total time55 mins
Plusstanding

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250g white basmati rice
30g unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove/s garlic, finely chopped
380g pack Chicken Breast Fillets, cut into bitesized chunks
1 tbsp Cooks' Ingredients Ras El Hanout
4 Medjool Dates, pitted and chopped
1 tsp ground allspice
1 cinnamon stick
500ml fresh chicken stock
260g pack spinach
Roughly chopped dill and lemon wedges, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6. Rinse the rice, then soak in a bowl of cold water until needed. Put the butter in a wide, shallow casserole dish (or roasting tin) and melt in the oven for 1 minute. Add the onion and garlic to the dish, then cook for 4 minutes, until slightly softened. Meanwhile, put the chicken chunks in a bowl, rub in the ras el hanout and season.
Add the dates and spices to the onion mixture. Drain the rice and add to the dish, stirring to coat in the butter and spices; add the stock. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 30 minutes, then use a fork to fluff up the rice. Stir through the spinach, then nestle the chicken into the rice and cook, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, no pink meat remains and the juices run clear
Cover with the foil again and stand for 5-10 minutes before serving with a scattering of dill and lemon wedges for squeezing.