Zaphron, not to be confused with saffron, is a spice that’s much cheaper and gives a hint of color to the rice! You can skip the zaphron and mastic if you can’t find them.
Ingredients
- 1/2 chicken or 2 boneless chicken breast
- 1 shallot
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp 7 spice
- 1 tsp salt
- Water
Rice
- 1 1/2 cup short grain rice
- 1 tbs butter + 1 tbs neutral oil
- 3 mastic (optional)
- Zaphron threads (optional)
- 1 cup water + 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-2 thin pita bread cut into desired bite size
Yogurt sauce
- 1 1/2 cup yogurt full fat
- 2-3 tbs tahini
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Chicken broth
- Lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken in cold water bring to a boil and skim the white froth, add the spices listed cover and let cook on medium heat until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove from the broth and tear off the meat set aside, strain the broth we will use some later.
- Wash the rice 3 times and soak in lukewarm water for 20 minutes. In a pot melt the butter with the oil add mastic and zaphron the mastic will melt add the strained rice and salt cook while stirring for 30 seconds so every grain of rice is coated. Add the water and broth bring to a boil cover and cook on simmer until almost moist then set aside to rest.
- Cut the pita into desired bite size and fry to get some color.
- Make the yogurt sauce by whisking the listed ingredients, adjust lemon juice and salt to your liking add the chicken broth gradually enough to thin the sauce as you see in the reel.
- To assemble in a dish spread the fried pita, add a little bit of chicken broth to moisten the bread then spread the rice on top to cover, spread the shredded chicken, top with the yogurt sauce.
- Garnish with parsley and extra fried pita, sumac, fried almonds and pine nuts with extra butter to cover.