Plov is officially a national dish of Uzbekistan and of neighboring Tajikistan where people take pride in preparing the dish. This plov recipe is for the Uzbek Plov with chicken, I hope the pictures will invite you to try it out yourself.
History of Plov
You might have read my blog post on Cooking the Perfect Turkish Rice Pilaf which also has a section titled History of Pilaf. For Uzbeks plov is as important as pilaf is for Turks and risotto for Italians. Love of plov is also shared by Russians, Caucasians, Turkmens, Kazaks, Iranians, Afghans and Indians. You can visualize the Silk Road carrying the rice and related recipes through out these countries along the way.
Since the 10’th Century Uzbeks have been cooking Plov. Mostly with lamb, beef and chicken. Nowadays there are more than 50 different recipes and every family has their own recipe. Plov is considered both a comfort food and a festive food. It is cooked almost weekly and always on special days like a wedding or a holiday. Ozbek plov is considered a symbol of their hospitality.
Preps needed for a good Uzbek plov
What ever meat you choose to cook the Uzbek plov start with cooking it first. This recipe requires chicken. Roast it all around until the chicken gets a golden brown and crispy.
While the meat is cooking, place the rice in a bowl and cover it boiling water for at least half an hour. When time is up rinse the rice under flowing water until there is no more white starchy water flowing under the colander. This is necessary to get rid of the starch of the rice.
Chop the onion and the garlic cloves.
How to cook the Uzbek plov
Remove the cooked meat from the pot. Add olive oil and butter to the pot. Also, add the julienne cut carrots, chopped onions and garlic and sauté until the onions turn translucent.
Add the rice and sauté again, until the rice turns pearly. Add the salt, black pepper, paprika and cumin at this stage.
What to serve with Uzbek chicken plov
Traditionally Uzbeks drink black tea with this comfort food. Ayran, the yogurt drink is another healthy alternative.
A salad will be good companion to the Uzbek chicken. As it is a hearty feast, I would not look for other alternatives to be honest.
If you have liked this Uzbek chicken plov recipe, you might want to check my other pilaf recipes:
Uzbek Chicken Plov
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 4 carrots – medium cut to matchsticks
- 1 onion – large chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 cups rice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika optional
- 2 cups warm water divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Measure 1 cup of rice, place the rice in a heat-proof bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for at least half an hour. When time is up rinse well under flowing water until there is no more white, starch water left on the rice.
- Pat dry the chicken with paper towels. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Heat a large and deep skillet. Add olive oil.
- Once the oil is also warm. Add in the chicken. Do not over crowd the skillet, brown in batches if necessary. Cook the chicken until it is golden brown on all sides.
- Then add a tablespoon of butter, also add the chopped onions, garlic and carrots. Saute until the onions become translucent.
- Add water to cover the bottom of the skillet and let simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is well done and the flavours blend. Do not mix.
- Then pour on top the drained rice. Do not mix. Pour the remaining warm water on top of the rice, just enough to cover the rice.
- Close the lid and let simmer over low heat until the rice soaks up the water. Will take about 15-20 minutes.
- Let rest for five minutes after closing the heat.
- Serve with chopped dill or parsley.
Notes
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