recipes/chickenpilaf.recipe.md

# Chicken Pilaff with Chilli and Pine Nut Butter

A fragrant rice dish with chicken, tomatoes and golden raisins, served with a parsley, chilli and pine nut butter. This recipe is adapted from [Seafood pilafi with chilli pine nut butter](https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/seafood_pilafi_with_70058) by Georgina Hayden.

## Ingredients

 * 2 tbsp olive oil
 * 2 chicken breasts
 * 2 onions, sliced
 * 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
 * 350 g ripe tomatoes, chopped
 * 250 g brown basmati rice
 * 800 ml hot chicken stock
 * pinch saffron
 * 1 cinnamon stick
 * 75 g golden raisins
 * salt and black pepper to taste
 * fresh spinach
 * 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
 * lemon wedges, to serve
 
### For the chilli and pine nut butter

 * 30 g unsalted butter
 * 1/2 tsp dried chilli
 * 60 g pine nuts

## Directions

Add the saffron to the hot chicken stock and leave to infuse.

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a heavy-based pan and brown the chicken pieces, then set aside.

Heat the remaining oil and cook the onions and garlic until softened, about 15 minutes.

Add the tomatoes then the rice, and stir until the rice is nicely coated. Return the chicken pieces to the pan.

Stir in the stock, saffron, cinnamon stick, raisins, and seasoning. Bring to a simmer then cover and reduce the heat; cook for a further 30 minutes, until almost all of the water is abosrbed and the rice is nearly done.

Stir in the spinach and, if it looks dry, a splash of boiling water. Let the spinach steam and wilt for 5 minutes, then stir in the chopped parsley.

### To make the chilli and pine nut butter

Melt the butter with the chilli powder and fry the pine nuts until golden.

Serve with the butter drizzled over and a lemon wedge.

## Metadata

tags: Saturday Kitchen, Main Course

author: adapted from a recipe by Georgina Hayden