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An Iconic Lebanese dish!
Lebanese chicken and rice, also known as “rizz a djej,” is a one of those meals that you’ll see at many Lebanese occasions and holiday meals. It’s a Lebanese-style rice hashweh (which means stuffing) served with juicy tender shredded chicken and garnished with generous amounts of toasted almonds, pine nuts, and cashews – the best part of the recipe in my opinion!
Because of the spice blend, it really tastes like something unique and special, but you can actually make this chicken and rice recipe with everyday pantry. You might just need to buy or make some 7 Spice – something I use in many Lebanese recipes!
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Lebanese Chicken and Rice Ingredients
- Chicken: I use chicken thighs because they help make a better chicken stock that’s used to cook the rice and because they are more tender and juicy compared to chicken breast. But you can also use chicken breast.
- Rice: Long grain rice, like basmati rice, is what is most commonly used because it creates a light and fluffy texture.
- Onion: Use a sweet onion to flavor to both the chicken stock and the rice and beef mixture.
- Butter: I use butter to toast the nuts and cook the rice and beef, but you can also use olive oil or avocado oil.
- Cashews, almonds, and pine nuts: Use any or all of them and fry them with butter to add to the Lebanese chicken and rice on a platter.
- Lean ground beef: You’ll cook this with the onion and rice and you can substitute it with lamb, chicken, or turkey but beef is the most common.
- Cinnamon sticks and bay leaves: These aromatics infuse the chicken and stock. You can leave them out, but I don’t recommend it.
- Spices: 7 Spice is a traditional Lebanese spice blend that you can buy or make and I mix it with just salt and pepper to flavor the dish. If you don’t have 7 Spice, you can just mix ½ teaspoon each of cumin, coriander, allspice and cinnamon.
Popular Additions
- Add vermicelli. For something a little extra, you can make my Lebanese rice that includes the vermicelli pasta but add ground beef.
- Add vegetables. Add ¼ cup of chopped green onions, diced tomatoes, and diced bell peppers to the rice to add more texture. Cook them with the beef for added flavor.
- Top with a yogurt sauce. Serve the dish with a bright and tangy yogurt made with garlic, and lemon juice for a creamy and tangy contrast to the rice and chicken. My garlic toum sauce or Labneh would work great with this recipe. You can also add a cooler sauce like my cucumber yogurt.
How to Make Lebanese Chicken & Rice
Making hashweh with rice and chicken may have a few different steps to it, but it’s well worth it!
Cook the Chicken and Make the Stock
Cook the Nuts Topping
Cook the Rice and Beef
Transfer the rice and beef mixture to a large serving platter, add the shredded chicken on top, and scatter the cooked nuts over the top. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure to rinse the rice. When cooking pilaf, it’s important to rinse the rice beforehand to remove excess starch from the grains. If not rinsed, the starch can cause the rice to clump together while cooking and it won’t be fluffy.
- Don’t overcook the rice. Overcooking the rice can make it mushy and ruin the dish’s texture. Follow the instructions carefully and fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
- Brown the beef. Medium to medium-high heat is the key to browning ground beef, which means more flavor for your dish. Plus, you’ll be using the same pot you used to toast the nuts, transferring some of that nutty flavor while cooking the meat and onions.
Serving Ideas
Recipe Help & FAQs
Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stove with a splash of water to prevent the rice from drying out. Make sure to stir occasionally and check that the chicken is heated through before serving.
Yes, you can! If freezing, allow the dish to cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it in a pan or in the microwave until heated through. Add some water or broth to the dish if it appears dry.
It’s possible there was too much water or the rice wasn’t cooked long enough. Try cooking it for 10 more minutes on low heat, then leave it covered for 5 minutes before fluffing again. That should help dry out some of the moisture to make it less clumpy.
More Lebanese recipes:
- Lebanese Mujadara
- Lebanese Crushed Lentil Soup
- Lebanese Chicken Fatteh
- Beef Kofta
- Baked Kibbeh
- Middle Eastern Spinach Stew
- Falafel Recipe
- Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves
- Fish Sayadieh Recipe
If you try this Lebanese Chicken and Rice recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Lebanese Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 2 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cups water
For the Nuts Topping
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup cashews
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts
For the Rice and Beef
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons 7 Spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups long grain rice rinsed
- Fresh parsley for serving
Instructions
Cook the Chicken & Make the Stock
- Place the chicken thighs, onion, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, salt and pepper in a large stockpot on high heat. Add water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
- Remove the cooked chicken and use two forks to shred into bite-sized pieces. Strain the chicken stock and discard the aromatics. Reserve 3 cups of the stock to use to cook the rice and store the remaining stock for another use.
Cook the Nuts Topping
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the cashews, almonds and pine nuts and toast, stirring frequently, until they’re golden-brown and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Cook the Rice and Beef and Serve
- In the same pot used to cook the nuts, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and ground beef and season with the 7 Spice and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook until the onions are soft and the ground beef is browned, 8-10 minutes.
- Add the rice, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and stir to combine. Pour the reserved chicken broth on top. Mix all the ingredients together, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 5 more minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
- Transfer the rice and beef mixture to a large serving platter, add the shredded chicken on top and scatter the cooked nuts over the top. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Lovely but wondered if I can cook rice and cooked meat etc. in a rice cooker? Would I use basmati rice and ratio 2 cups rice to 3 to 3-1/2 cups stock.
I haven’t tried making this recipe in a rice cooker so I’m not sure if it would work well. But I’d love to hear how it goes for you if you end up trying it!
Hi Yumna, I tried cooking the meat and rice in a rice cooker and it turned out well. I must admit, I did it in batches and doubled up the recipe, so ended up with 1/2 the cooked meat with 2 cups of washed basmati rice and 3/12 cups of water. I also added some ghee. Nice recipe but I feel it needs some more flavour from the Middle East. Will be trying more of your recipes in future. Thanks
Thanks for coming back to let me know how it went, Margret! So happy to hear you were able to make it in your rice cooker! It sounds like you used water instead of chicken stock to make the rice, which adds a lot of flavor. You can always add more 7 spice to get that Middle Eastern flavor you’re craving, too. Hope that helps!
A classic. This is exactly what I was looking for today.
Yay, that makes me so happy to hear! Thank you, Ghada—so glad you enjoyed!!
This was delicious and a hit with my kids.
Yay, I’m so glad to hear that!!
Tasted like my mom’s 😍
Aww, so happy to hear.
I can’t not leave a comment on this perfectly shared recipe! I made it following the exact recipe – and it was amazingly delicious!!! Everyone loved it, as I made it for Iftar.
Thanks Yumna!
Thank you so much!
Excellent recipe , loved it
Thanks so much!
I don’t know how, but you do it every single time! I live abroad and whenever I need some comfort food I come right back to this recipe. It just hits the spot, like I’m back home. Thank you for keeping it real with all of your recipes.
Awe, thank you so much for the kind words!!
This was so good. The 7 spice just gives it so much flavor. My Mom only used cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper. Skipped the hamburger and made some toum to serve it with. I also stirred the chicken in the rice about 5 minutes before it was done cooking. Will surely make this again and again.
Yay, so glad you liked it!
Amazing.
Better than what we buy at the catering.
Thank you!
Absolutely delish….😋😋
Thank you so much!
What can I use instead of cashews, hubby can’t have them?
You can use pine nuts, or almonds or just omit them. Hope you enjoy!
Made this for my 1/4 Lebanese husband and he absolutely loved everything about it! Nutty, sweet, subtle, rich flavors. The chicken was tender and juicy. What an easy staple dish. My kids loved it too! Thank you for posting this recipe. I have been looking for Lebanese staples to incorporate into our weekly meals. This one definitely made the cut.
Thanks so much!! Happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed it!
Hello, I would love to make this dish but I have a Q. 2 cups of rice with 3 cups of broth, will the rice be undercooked? I usually do 2 cups of water for every cup of rice.
Please let me know and thank you in advance.
I like my rice a little drier, so 3 cups is what I prefer, but if you like a wetter rice you can do 2 cups of liquid for each cup of rice.