Poached chicken with saffron rice & herbed yoghurt

We put a twist on this classic by poaching it in aromatic spices, rather than the traditional roasted chicken. We can certainly say the results were amazing and we would definitely recommend this cooking technique!

1 hour 45 mins

6

Medium

For the chicken:
• 1.5kg Field & Flower chicken (remove giblets)
• 3 celery sticks, chopped into pieces
• 2 carrots, chopped into pieces
• 2 onions, peeled & cut in half
• 1 bulb of garlic, cut in half horizontally
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• Handful of coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For the rice:
• 375g rice
• 2 pinches of saffron
• 50g flaked almonds
• Sea salt, to taste

For the yoghurt:
• 200ml natural yoghurt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• Small bunch of coriander
• Small bunch of mint

1. Place the chicken, herbs, vegetables and spices in a large stock pot. Pour water over the contents of the pot until covered.

2. Bring to the boil and then simmer for one hour.

3. While the chicken is poaching you can make your herbed yoghurt. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz. Season to taste and put in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

4. When the chicken is nearly ready, cook the rice according to the packet instructions adding the saffron to the water while it cooks.

5. Remove the chicken from the pan after an hour or when the juices from the chicken run clear when you pierce the chicken at its thickest point.

6. Strip the meat off the chicken and shred into a bowl. Drizzle with a little sesame oil and pomegranate molasses.

7. Serve straight away and enjoy. You could also add hummus and sautéed spinach to the dish.