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Chicken pilau rice is one of the classic chicken-and-rice dishes that has a special place among Pakistani and Indian cuisines. It’s a delicious comfort food with a well-balanced spice aroma.

What Is Chicken Pilau Rice?

Chicken pilau rice – aka chicken pulao rice – is a rice dish cooked in spiced chicken stock. It is a comfort food that is often enjoyed at gatherings on any occasion.

Chicken pilau rice in a metal dish with cutlery and white napkin in the background. — Photo credit: So Yummy Recipes.

Celebrations such as weddings, birthdays, Eid, and graduations are only a few examples. More often than not, this dish is an option for dinner parties with family and friends.

When you try this rice, you’ll know why. It has a heartwarming flavor that is satisfying on its own. Yet, it complements other side dishes when put together among the feast spread.

Maybe it is the savory chicken broth with the aromatic spices that makes it delicious.

Pilau rice is almost always a must-have on the menu for special occasions and is something every Pakistani household can definitely cook and serve to their loved ones. Therefore, this chicken pulao rice was the first rice recipe that I learned.

That said, nowadays people cook and eat this rice-and-chicken dish anytime. Myself included. I make it for a weeknight dinner at times. So you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to make this recipe.

Pakistani Chicken Pilau

My husband and his family are Pakistanis who were born and grew up in Kenya, Africa. Even though their cooking largely follows the authentic Pakistani style, there may be differences in how Pakistanis in Pakistan cook.

So this chicken pulao recipe I’m sharing here might as well be classified as Kenyan-Pakistani chicken pilau. Meaning it’s the Pakistani recipe for pilau rice, cooked in chicken stock, by Pakistanis living in Kenya.

Anyhow. I must tell you that this is a secret family recipe that will no longer be a secret. And you can even learn a trick or two from me to make a delicious pilau right from the start.

This is a very easy recipe to follow. Promise you will get a flavorful chicken and rice dish at the end of cooking.

A little history chat. You might know that pilau rice itself originates from the Persian (Iran) pilaf recipe. It spread to the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Therefore, you will come across similar dishes with varied names. You find Kabsa in the Middle East, Plov in Azerbaijan, Kabuli pulao in Afghanistan, Nasi Kebuli in Indonesia, etc. All these dishes are rooted in a great rice pilaf recipe. Amazing, isn’t it? How does the food and culture travel beyond the boundaries?

Quite Simple Ingredients

You need three types of ingredients for this one-pot chicken pulao, i.e., rice, chicken, and whole spices.

For the rice, it is imperative to use basmati rice. Because other types of rice, such as short-grain, long-grain, Thai rice, etc., will not taste the same. They can go either mushy or hard and chewy.

There are many brands of basmati rice. I have tried numerous ones. Some are good, and some are okay. But recently I’ve been kind of hooked on Badshah.

And when it comes to chicken, I use baby chicken with bone and cut it into small pieces. Because I find it more flavorsome than the large poultry.

You can use boneless chicken thighs, too. However, the poultry tends to get dry and doesn’t give much flavor to the broth. I suggest avoiding using boneless chicken breast, as it will be so dry and tasteless, like cardboard.

As for the spices, you will need whole black peppercorns, whole cumin seeds, whole coriander seeds, whole cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, whole black cardamom, onion, ginger root, and garlic cloves.

Additionally, you will need a little bit of cooking oil to fry the onion. Needless to say, you will need salt as well.

How to Make Chicken Pilau Rice

Cooking on the Stovetop

It is pretty straightforward to make this chicken pulao. It’s like a one-pot dish. However, you will have to make the chicken broth first. And then cook the rice in it. It’s sort of a one-pot chicken dish, really.

First, wash, rinse, and soak rice in plenty of water.

Then, fry the sliced onions until they turn light golden. Add the whole spices and cook for a few more minutes until the onions turn golden brown. You can fry the onion even darker if you like your pilau rice to be browner.

Next, add the chicken and continue frying until the chicken is firm and opaque. Add the whole onion and hot boiling water (from the kettle). Cover the pot and bring to a boil at medium heat. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 40-45 minutes to cook the chicken.

browning the chicken pieces and whole onion in spices

When the stock is ready, sieve and pour the liquid into a clean cooking pot. Make sure you have about 3¾ cups (900 ml) of stock to cook the rice.

Discard the spices, onion, ginger, garlic, bay leaves, and cinnamon. Then carefully remove the chicken pieces and return them to the stock. You may find chicken meltingly tender.

Now, drain the rice and add it to the broth. Cook it at medium heat until all the liquid evaporates. You can gently stir the rice every now and then to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Once the liquid evaporates, wrap a tea towel over the pan lid and put the lid on the pan. Turn the heat down and cook further until steam escapes from the lid.

Check if the rice is cooked. If it is, fluff the rice with a fork so the grains don’t stick together.

Using a Rice Cooker

If you want to cook your pilau in a rice cooker, follow the recipe steps up to and including making the chicken stock.

Then drain the soaked rice and put it in the rice cooker bowl. Pour 3¾ cups (900 ml) of stock into the cooker and cover. Press and start the cooking time.

Cooking in the Instant Pot

Another way to make this pilau rice is by using an Instant Pot. Prepare the chicken stock and soak the rice. Then you put the rice, followed by 2½ cups (600 ml) of the stock, and the chicken pieces into the IP bowl.

Cover the IP with its pressure cooker lid. Press the pressure cook button for 4 minutes, then start. Once the cooking is finished, let the steam finish manually through the venting button. It takes approximately 5-6 minutes. If it doesn’t, you can release the steam by pressing the venting button.

When all the steam has been released, and it is safe to open the lid, remove it.

By all means, please refer to the manual if you are not sure. Also, note that we use less liquid when cooking with this cooking gadget. This is because we pressure cook it. If we put too much stock in it, the rice may become too soft or even soggy.

Top Tips for Making the Best Tasting Pilau Rice

The secret to a delicious pilau lies in the proportions of each spice, the stock’s flavor, and the amount of stock used.
As I mentioned above, your cooked rice grains should be fluffy and not broken or mushy. So make sure you use the right amount of stock and keep an eye on the rice while it cooks. Stir the rice carefully so you do not break it.
You may find your pilau rice pale in color or slightly darker, brownish. Both are equally good in taste. This color of the rice is achieved by browning the onion lighter or darker. I personally prefer brown pilau as I find it has a better aroma and tastes more savory. To do this, you will need to keep an eye on the onion and stir constantly while you’re frying. So it will be evenly cooked.
To cook Basmati rice, you need 1 ½ cups of water for every 1 cup of rice. This is a basic guideline to help you cook pilau rice as well. In case you want to multiply the rice ratio. So when you finish making the stock, you can sieve it and measure it to know how much stock it yields.
For this recipe, we need about 3 ¾ cups of stock. So you can add or remove the broth you make if it is less or more than the 3 ¾ cups you need.
As with making good broth, the longer you cook meat and bones for stock, the better the flavor will be. This also applies to making the stock for pilau rice. Though I say it takes me approximately an hour to boil the broth, you’re more than welcome to let it simmer longer so the chicken releases more of its goodness. If you’re in a hurry, simmer the stock for at least 40-45 minutes.

What to Serve With Chicken Pilau Rice

Below are recipes that typically go with this pilau rice in a food spread.

Aloo Gosht – potato and meat curry.
Aloo Palak – spinach and potato curry.
Chicken Shorba – chicken curry with runny curry sauce.
Lamb kofta curry – lamb meatball curry.
Chicken tikka.
Chicken kebabs or lamb kebabs.
Dahi Baray – lentil dumplings soaked in spiced yogurt.

Thank you and all the best.