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A whole roasted chicken stuffed with savory rice and vegetables, garnished with lemon slices, served on a wooden board.
5 from 4 votes

Rice Stuffed Chicken

By Zerrin & Yusuf
Whole chicken stuffed with a flavorsome rice filling makes a festive dinner for your family.
Yields: 6 servings
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PREP 20 minutes
COOK 1 hour 15 minutes
TOTAL 1 hour 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS
  

For Chicken:

  • 1½ kilo whole chicken with skin
  • 1 teaspoon butter for the baking pan

To Marinade:

  • 2 cloves garlic mashed
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 tablespoon butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Rice Stuffing:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper finely chopped
  • 1 small green bell pepper finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ cup long grain rice rinsed well
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pinch cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup warm water
  • ¼ cup parsley chopped
  • 3 sprigs fresh mint chopped

INSTRUCTIONS
 

To Marinade The Chicken:

  • In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Coat all sides of the chicken with this mixture very well. 
  • Put it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for 3 hours. 

To Cook The Rice Stuffing:

  • Heat olive oil in a pan. Saute chopped onion and peppers in it until the onions get translucent. 
  • Add in the rice and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
  • Add in black pepper, cinnamon and lemon juice. Stir well.
  • Pour water and cook covered until it boils.
  • Reduce the heat to the lowest once it boils and let it simmer covered until the water is fully absorbed. 
  • Remove from heat. Add in chopped parsley and mint. Give it a gentle stir and put it aside.

To Stuff and Bake The Chicken:

  • Preheat the oven to 220C/425F. Butter all sides of the baking pan with 1 tablespoon softened butter. 
  • Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and with the help of a spoon, stuff it with the rice filling and place it into the buttered baking pan. 
  • Tie the chicken legs with a heat-proof thread so that the filling inside the chicken won’t come out. 
  • Bring the heat to 190C/375F and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and baste it with the juices. Put it back and bake for another 30 min. Remove it from the oven and baste for the second time. Put it back in the oven and bake for another 15min. You will bake it for 1 hour and 15 minutes. It is ready to be served.

NOTES

  1. The baking duration might change depending on the size of the chicken. It’s better to check after this time. You might bake for another 15-20 minutes if your chicken is larger.
  2. You can cover the roasted chicken with some foil and let it rest until the serving time. 
  3. You can shred leftover chicken and keep it with rice in the fridge for 3-4 days.

NUTRITION

Calories: 193kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 2gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 848mgPotassium: 141mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1003IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

ADDITIONAL INFO

Course Dinner
Cuisine Turkish
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