Harissa Chicken and Saffron Rice

A simple, bold and flavour-packed weeknight meal! North African harissa-spiced chicken and saffron basmati rice and golden saffron rice all cooked in one pan and topped with dill, cucumber and pomegranate seeds when it comes out the oven. Just put everything in the pan and let the oven do the magic. No pre-searing. No stirring. No stress. The result is a comforting and flavorful meal that’s ready to serve in under an hour.

	To serve
0.2 g Saffron strands 550 ml Hot beef or chicken stock 8 Chicken thighs, skin-on-bone-in Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper 3 tbsp Harissa paste 250 g Basmati rice, well rinsed and drained 2 tsp Chicken schmaltz or olive oil 1 Garlic clove, crushed	1/2 Cucumber, peeled, deseeded and sliced into half-moons Handful dill fronds, roughly chopped 3 Tbsp Pomegranate seeds

Preheat oven to 200C/400F. In a jug, mix the saffron with the hot stock and set aside briefly to infuse.
Meanwhile, cut a few slits into the top of each chicken thigh, deep into the meat, then put in a bowl with the harissa and some seasoning and mix to coat. In a large roasting tin or casserole (just large enough to fit all the chicken in a single layer), mix the well rinsed and drained basmati rice, chicken schmaltz and crushed garlic.
Stir the hot stock and saffron into the rice. Arrange chicken thighs on top, skin-side up, and roast in the oven for 45 minutes, until the rice is tender and slightly crispy on top and the chicken cooked through.
Remove from the oven and scatter over the cucumber, dill and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!

20 comments:

Tom 11/8/26 12:25: ...a beautifully presented dish!
Ananka 11/8/26 14:26: Looks good Angie and that rice wow :-D
DEZMOND 11/8/26 15:36: Hope it is not too hot for cooking up there. It is 45C here today, so I made some rice stuffed peppers and baked them in the basement this morning LOL
Balvinder 11/8/26 17:17: Definitely my kind of a meal!
Neuer Gartentraum 11/8/26 20:49: Wieder ein Rezept für mich. Bis auf die Granatapfelkerne kann ich hier alle Zutaten bekommen. Es wird ein Sonntagsessen. Danke dafür.
Linda's Relaxing Lair 11/8/26 20:54: Oh Angie, this looks really delicious!!!
David Scott Allen 11/8/26 21:30: Looks absolutely fantastic, Angie!
DeniseinVA 11/8/26 21:43: How wonderful this would be to give friends the next time they come over. Looks so delicious, and pretty. Thanks Angie!
Christine 11/8/26 23:15: Delicious
Brian's Home Blog 12/8/26 00:10: I think those flavors are all amazing, yum!
My name is Erika. 12/8/26 00:44: I don't know which looks more appealing, the chicken or the rice. Can you tell it's dinner time in my part of the world as I write this? Hope it was a good day!
J.P. Alexander 12/8/26 00:57: Gracias por la receta. Te mando un beso.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com 12/8/26 05:49: I love simple meals like this that pack a flavour punch.
Modrina Neba - Blue sky 12/8/26 06:06: Wonderful Angie's!
Garfield 12/8/26 06:35: Esse prato parece delicioso.

Nova Tirinha Publicada. 😼

Abraços 🐾 Garfield Tirinhas Oficial.
Margaret D 12/8/26 08:15: Looks delicious and would taste good I reckon.
Maminek kulinarny 12/8/26 09:11: The chicken is prepared to be incredibly aromatic, and the whole dish looks absolutely appetizing.
Harissa is one of my favorite accompaniments for various meats.
Best regards!
Basil and The B Team ~ BionicBasil ® 12/8/26 09:27: Another epic recipe to add to the collection! Thank you so much, we love your blog!!! ✨🐈🐾🐈✨
David M. Gascoigne, 12/8/26 12:50: The whole ensemble looks terrific, Angie. I’ll have to increase my line of credit and buy saffron one of these days!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 12/8/26 13:26: This looks so good, Angie! I love the combination of spicy harissa chicken and fragrant saffron rice.