Chicken

Yotam Ottolenghi's chicken with caramelised onion and cardamom rice

Name: Yotam Ottolenghi's chicken with caramelised onion and cardamom rice recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 40g caster sugar; 40.00 ml barberries (substitute currants); 60ml olive oil; 2 medium onions, thinly sliced; 4 (1kg total) skin-on, bone-in chicken thigh cutlets, or 1 whole small chicken, quartered; 10 cardamom pods, bruised; 1/2 tsp whole cloves; 2 long cinnamon quills, broken in two; 300g basmati rice; 560ml water; 125.00 ml dill leaves, chopped; 62.50 ml coriander leaves, chopped; 30.00 ml flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped; 100g yoghurt; Lemon wedges, to serve (optional)

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55m

Yotam Ottolenghi's chicken with caramelised onion

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by Yotam Ottolenghi

Feb 13, 2026

“A stunningly fragrant one-pot meal, this chicken and rice dish came from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s smash hit, Jerusalem: A Cookbook. Spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and whole cloves, its aromatic earthiness is balanced by plenty of herbs – dill, parsley and coriander – for freshness and tang. And caramelised onions and dried barberries (or currants) contribute a gentle sweetness. This is dinner party food that is at once elegant and supremely comforting.” - Julia Moskin, The New York Times

40g caster sugar
2 tbs barberries (substitute currants)
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra 1 1/2 tbs (optional)
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 (1kg total) skin-on, bone-in chicken thigh cutlets, or 1 whole small chicken, quartered
10 cardamom pods, bruised
1/2 tsp whole cloves
2 long cinnamon quills, broken in two
1 1/2 cups (300g) basmati rice
2 1/4 cups (560ml) boiling water
1/2 cup dill leaves, chopped
1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
1 1/2 tbs flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1/3 cup (100g) plain Greek-style yoghurt (optional)
Lemon wedges, to serve (optional)

Method

1.

Put the sugar and 2 1/2 tbs water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, add the barberries, and set aside to soak. If using currants, you do not need to soak them in this way.
2.

Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a large frypan for which you have a lid over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion has turned a deep golden brown. Transfer the onion to a small bowl and wipe the pan clean.
3.

Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl and season with 1½ tsp each fine salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the remaining 1½ tbs oil, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and use your hands to mix everything together well. Heat the frypan again and place the chicken and spices in it. Sear chicken for 5 minutes on each side and remove from the pan (this is important, as it par-cooks the chicken). The spices can stay in the pan, but don’t worry if they stick to the chicken. Remove most of the remaining oil as well, leaving just a thin film at the bottom. Add the rice, caramelised onion, 1 tsp fine salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Drain the barberries and add them as well. Pour the boiling water over the rice and stir well.
4.

Return the seared chicken to the pan, pushing it into the rice, cover the pan, and cook over very low heat for 30 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, remove the lid, quickly place a clean tea towel over the pan, and seal again with the lid. Leave the dish undisturbed for another 10 minutes. Finally, add the herbs and use a fork to stir them in and fluff up the rice. Taste and add more fine salt and freshly ground pepper if needed. Stir the extra 1½ tbs olive oil through the yoghurt, if you wish.
5.

Serve hot or warm, with yoghurt mixture and lemon wedges, if you like.