Orange Turmeric Chicken with Rice

Hello, welcome to Djalali Cooks. Today’s recipe has Moroccan flavors; beautifully fresh and fragrant turmeric and orange. This recipe for the chicken comes from the NYT Cooking site. I have added another component to finish the dish: rice and raisins are added to the sauce after the chicken is cooked. The rice soaks up the sauce and gets a little crispy before it’s topped with pistachios, fresh mint and parsley. Let’s make this Orange Turmeric Chicken with Rice!

Chicken Marinade

This is a super simple dish to prepare since all of the seasoning and sauce ingredients are going in the marinade. In a bowl, toss in the diced onion and garlic. Grate the orange zest straight into the bowl, then add the turmeric, dried mint, kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, honey and orange juice.

Stir together then nestle the chicken thighs into the marinade. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

Cooking the Chicken

You can put it in the fridge and let it marinate for up to 12 hours if you want. When you’re ready to cook the chicken, get a large skillet heating over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Let the oil get hot and shimmery, then use tongs to transfer the chicken thighs to the skillet.

Let the chicken thighs get good browning on the first side before moving or flipping them, about 6-8 minutes.

Once both sides of the chicken thighs have some good browning, we will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce. Pour the marinade into the pan and let everything bubble and boil. The marinade will thicken to a sauce as it cooks. Cook until the onions are translucent, the sauce has thickened and reduced. Maybe about 5-8 minutes.

By now the chicken should be cooked through. You can temp it, look for an interior temperature of 170 degrees. When the chicken is cooked through, transfer it out of the skillet to a plate and set aside. Now for the rice.

Add the Rice

I have about 1.5 cups of day old rice. You want about 2 cups of rice. I had a little less than I wanted. If you want to use fresh rice, cook the rice well ahead of cooking the chicken and spread the hot rice out on a sheet tray and put it in the fridge for at least an hour.

Add the rice directly to bubbling sauce in the pan. Stir the rice in so it all gets coated in sauce. Then add the raisins. I have a mixture of golden raisins, cherries, cranberries and blueberries. Stir the raisin blend into the rice and sauce. Spread the rice out and let the bottom crisp up a bit, just about 3-4 minutes.

Cut the heat and we are ready to serve. Spoon the rice onto a serving plate and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and parsley.

Nestle the chicken thighs on top and sprinkle with chopped fresh mint and flaky sea salt. The flaky sea salt is totally optional.

Orange Turmeric Chicken with Rice

The rice with the sweet raisins is such a wonderful component of this dish. The chicken is so flavorful and savory, the orange flavor comes through beautifully. The sweet fragrant flavor of orange is a wonderful companion to the savory earthiness of the turmeric. A very well-balanced dish!

Thank you for joining me today! If you’re in the mood for a different one-skillet chicken dinner, try One Pan Honey Glazed Chicken with Shallots. Take care and be well everyone! xo Kelly

In case you missed the news yesterday, I had the recent opportunity to guest on the Extraordinary Women podcast with Sharri Harmel. We discussed how I started Djalali Cooks, the special challenges of being an entrepreneur and how to keep moving forward in your dream of making your business successful as well as bringing personal joy and satisfaction. I’d love it if you’d give a listen! You can find the episode here, Extraordinary Women with Sharri Harmel or anywhere you listen to podcasts by searching for EXTRAORDINARY Women. My episode is available today! Check it out!

Key Equipment and Ingredients

Print Recipe

Orange Turmeric Chicken with Rice

(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)

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Dinner, Main Course – Moroccan-inspired

By Adapted from Nargisse Benkabbou via NYT Cooking – Serves: 2

Prep Time: 15 Minutes (plus 30 minutes marinating) – Cooking Time: ~25 Minutes – Total Time: ~40 Minutes

Orange Turmeric Chicken with Rice has Moroccan flavors; beautifully fresh and fragrant turmeric and orange. Served over jeweled rice.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Onion, diced into ¼-inch pieces
• 4 tbsp. Olive Oil, divided (in half)
• 1 tbsp. Honey
• 2 tsp. Dried Mint
• 3 Garlic Cloves, crushed and chopped
• 1 tbsp. Grated Orange Zest (from about 2 large oranges)
• 1/4 cup Fresh Orange Juice
• 1 tsp. Ground Turmeric
• 1.5 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1.5 lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs or Breasts
• 2 cups Cooked Rice, day old or cold
• 1/2 cup Golden Raisins, or dried fruit mix with cherries, blueberries, cranberries and raisins
• Garnish
• Raw Pistachios, chopped
• Fresh Parsley, chopped
• Fresh Mint, chopped
• Flaky Sea Salt, optional

Instructions

1

In a bowl, toss in the diced onion and garlic. Grate the orange zest straight into the bowl, then add the turmeric, dried mint, kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, honey and orange juice.

2

Stir together then nestle the chicken thighs into the marinade. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

3

You can put it in the fridge and let it marinate for up to 12 hours if you want. When you're ready to cook the chicken, get a large skillet heating over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Let the oil get hot and shimmery, then use tongs to transfer the chicken thighs to the skillet.

4

Let the chicken thighs get good browning on the first side before moving or flipping them, about 6-8 minutes.

5

Once both sides of the chicken thighs have some good browning, we will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce. Pour the marinade into the pan and let everything bubble and boil. The marinade will thicken to a sauce as it cooks. Cook until the onions are translucent, the sauce has thickened and reduced. Maybe about 5-8 minutes.

6

By now the chicken should be cooked through. You can temp it, look for an interior temperature of 170 degrees. When the chicken is cooked through, transfer it out of the skillet to a plate and set aside.

7

Add the rice directly to bubbling sauce in the pan. Stir the rice in so it all gets coated in sauce. Then add the raisins. I have a mixture of golden raisins, cherries, cranberries and blueberries. Stir the raisin blend into the rice and sauce. Spread the rice out and let the bottom crisp up a bit, just about 3-4 minutes.

8

Cut the heat and we are ready to serve. Spoon the rice onto a serving plate and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and parsley.

9

Nestle the chicken thighs on top and sprinkle with chopped fresh mint and flaky sea salt. The flaky sea salt is totally optional.

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