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Crispy Chicken with Runner Bean and Saffron Pilaf

Crispy Chicken with Runner Bean and Saffron Pilaf

By OcadoLifePublished on 17 June 2024For a simple but delicious wallet-friendly meal that’s high in protein, give food writer Rebecca Woollard’s Crispy Chicken with Runner Bean and Saffron Pilaf a whirl. “The gentle spices in the pilaf create layers of flavour and the runner beans add colour and crunch,” says Rebecca. Brilliantly versatile, the rice can be adjusted to suit you – try swapping the runner beans for green beans or cherry tomatoes, stirring through toasted walnuts or hazelnuts once cooked, or replacing the pickled chillies with the chopped skins of preserved lemons.
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Time and servings

1 hrTotal time
4Servings
10 minsPrep time
50 minsCooking time

Ingredients

  • 1 large pinch saffron
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
  • 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
  • 1½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 10 cardamom pods, lightly bashed
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 250g basmati rice
  • 200g runner beans, roughly chopped
  • 100g greek yoghurt
  • 4 pickled chillies, finely sliced
  • 3 tbsp chopped coriander (approx.)
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

  • Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. For the rice, put the saffron in a small dish, cover with 1 tbsp hot water; leave to soak.

  • Step 2

    Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, high-sided pan over a high heat. Season the chicken with salt and fry, skin-side down, for 5 mins or until golden and crisp. Flip and cook for 1 min to seal, then transfer to a roasting tin. Roast for 40 mins, until deeply golden and cooked through.

  • Step 3

    In the same pan, fry the onion in the chicken oil over a medium heat for 7 mins or until softened. Stir in two-thirds of the garlic with the cumin, ground coriander, cardamom and cinnamon; cook for 2 mins.

  • Step 4

    Add the rice, the saffron with its soaking liquid and 500ml hot water. Bring to a boil; bubble for 1 min, then cover and cook on low for 10 mins.

  • Step 5

    Uncover, add the beans, then replace the lid and continue to cook for 20 mins more or until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed.

  • Step 6

    Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir the remaining garlic into the yoghurt; set aside.

  • Step 7

    Stir the pickled chillies and chopped coriander through the cooked rice and serve with the chicken, garlic yoghurt and lemon wedges.