Dajaj Mahshi (Rice-Stuffed Chicken)
Delicious and flavorful Dajaj Mahshi (Rice-Stuffed Chicken) is a perfect dish for festive dinners and family gatherings! This recipe has a wonderfully balanced aromatics and herbs, and the chicken meat comes out tenderly moist, delicious, and perfectly seasoned.
This whole stuffed chicken is surely on its way to becoming one of your favorite main dish recipes ever! Chicken has extremely crispy skin, moist juicy flesh, and well-balanced and delicious rice stuffing.
Mouthwatering Stuffed Chicken
Dajaj Mahshi is a staple dish in Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt. Making this rice stuffed chicken dish is surprisingly easy because it is a one-pan meal! Try it as soon as you can!
Why to Love This Recipe of Dajaj Mahshi (Rice-Stuffed Chicken)?
Dajaj mahshi is extremely easy to make with step-by-step instructions, even beginners can make this wonderful dish!
Also, you just need simple ingredients to make this delicious meal: a whole chicken, rice, herbs, spices, and seasoning!
I assure you that rice-stuffed chicken fits to any events! Family gatherings, weekend dinners, or festive occasions are just perfect for this amazing dish!
This dish of stuffed chicken with rice is so impressive when it’s served on a beautiful large platter garnished with nuts, raisins, and chopped parsley making it truly a feast for the eyes.
Dajaj mahshi is crispy on the outside, and so tender on the inside because it is filled with delicious aromatic rice and herbs.
With this recipe, it’s like you are cooking a main course and a side dish at the same time just in one pan. Who doesn’t love that kind of meals!
Serving Suggestions for Rice-Stuffed Chicken
Full of fragrant spices and rich flavors, it’s best to enjoy Dajaj Mahshi with a side of plain yogurt or a simple veggie salad.
Easy Refreshing Pomegranate Salad is a unique salad that will decorate your dining table alongside your amazing main dish!
This Middle Eastern Salad is a side dish for everyone to enjoy with stuffed chicken. It is one of the better-known staples in Mediterranean cuisines and it’s simply called “Fattoush.”
Effortlessly easy to make, this will only need about 15 minutes of your time and only a few of simple veggies! Fattoush is characterized by its unbelievable health benefits and hearty flavor.
Delicious Chicken Stuffed with Rice
Top Tips for the Best Dajaj Mahshi (Rice-Stuffed Chicken)
In case you are using various nuts, it’s better to toast them separately as they have different oil content and cooking times.
Also, you can toast the nuts in a dry skillet for a few minutes until they are fragrant and toasted just a bit. Look for a light toasty color because in case they burn, they will taste bitter.
You can even prepare the stuffing rice a couple of days in advance and then fill the chicken whenever you need to cook it.
Bring the chicken to room temperature before stuffing and cooking it. If you cook the chicken straight from the fridge, you will end up with unpleasant brown skin while the inside is still uncooked.
Also, make sure the oven is hot before you put the stuffed chicken in. When you start cooking it in a cold oven, the skin of the chicken will be soggy and not crispy enough by the time it gets cooked.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The key to a rice stuffed chicken recipe is to use a marinade because it helps to add moisture in the hot oven while the chicken itself is still cooking.
If you cut the chicken as soon as it comes out of the oven, all of the liquid is going to come out. Resting the chicken for at least 15 minutes allows to seal in the moisture and increase the flavors.
When preparing the rice stuffing, it is necessary to partly cook the rice. It is because there won’t be much space inside the chicken for the rice to expand.
You can shred leftover chicken and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Easy Dajaj Mahshi Meal
Ingredients for Dajaj Mahshi Recipe
Rice for the Stuffing:
- Long-grain rice
- Oil (corn oil or light olive oil works)
- Onion
- Fresh parsley
- Garlic cloves
- Salt
- 7 spices
- Black pepper
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Hot water
Chicken Ingredients:
- Whole chicken
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Seasoning salt
- Turmeric powder
- Paprika
- Creole seasoning
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
For Garnish:
- Raisins
- Slivered almonds
- Fresh parsley
How to Make Dajaj Mahshi (Rice-Stuffed Chicken)
Making dajaj mahshi (rice-stuffed chicken) is surprisingly easy and straightforward. So here are just a few of simple steps that you need to follow:
Prepare the Rice Stuffing
Place a pot on medium heat, add oil, onions, garlic, parsley, and cook for a couple of minutes until onions are translucent.
Then, add rinsed rice and spices (salt, black pepper, seven spices, onion powder, and garlic powder).
Add hot water and cook on high heat uncovered until all the water has dissolved (the rice won’t be cooked all the way because it will be fully cooked in the oven).
Coating and Stuffing the Chicken:
Firstly, clean the chicken, and place it in a large bowl full of water and salt (about 2 tablespoons or more salt). Then cover and set it aside overnight in the fridge or for at least 3 hours.
Secondly, once you are ready to cook the chicken, rinse it again and dry it with paper towels.
Thirdly, combine all the spices for the chicken (turmeric, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, seasoning salt, paprika, and creole seasoning). Then mix the spices with olive oil to create a smooth paste.
After that, coat the chicken with the paste; make sure it’s fully coated with the spices, and even go under the chicken skin.
Now fill the inside of the chicken with the rice we cooked; you can fill it as much as you want but I recommend not filling it up too much.
After stuffing the chicken, place it in a prepared baking dish and cover it with foil.
Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes. Lower the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional hour and a half or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
For a festive look, you can cook the remaining rice and place it on a plate, and then serve your chicken on top of the cooked rice.
Finally, garnish the finished dish with toasted raisins, toasted almonds, and also don’t forget to sprinkle on top with freshly chopped parsley.
Pin This Perfect Dish!
Other Delicious Rice and Chicken Recipes to Enjoy:
- Foil Wrapped Chicken Thighs Recipe
- Kurdish Biryani – Iraqi Biryani Recipe
- Easy Keto Chicken Fritters
- Coke Can Chicken Recipe| Oven Roasted Chicken
- Juicy Baked Chicken Leg And Thigh Quarters
- Pressure Cooker Whole Chicken | Instant Pot Whole Chicken And Rice
- Mouth-Watering Chicken Enchiladas with Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- Quick and Easy Creamy Butter Chicken Recipe
- BBQ Air Fryer Chicken Wings Recipe
- Special Bulgur Pilaf with Vermicelli and Chicken
- One Pot Chicken Thighs and Rice Recipe
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Dajaj Mahshi (Rice-Stuffed Chicken)
Ingredients
Rice for the Stuffing:
- 2 cups long-grain rice rinsed
- ¼ cup oil any light oil (corn oil or light olive oil works)
- ¼ cup onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon 7 spices
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cup hot water
Chicken Ingredients:
- 5 pounds whole chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
For Garnish:
- ¼ cup raisins toasted
- ¼ cup slivered almonds toasted
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
Cooking Rice:
- Place a pot on medium heat, add oil, onions, garlic, parsley, and cook for a couple of minutes until onions are translucent.
- Now add rinsed rice and spices (salt, black pepper, seven spices, onion powder, and garlic powder).
- Add hot water and cook on high heat uncovered until all the water has dissolved (the rice won't be cooked all the way, it will get cooked in the oven).
Coating and Stuffing the Chicken:
- Clean the chicken, and place it in a large bowl full of water and salt (about 2 tablespoons or more salt). Cover and set it aside overnight in the fridge or for at least 3 hours.
- Once ready to cook the chicken, rinse it again and dry it with paper towels.
- Combine all the spices for the chicken (turmeric, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, seasoning salt, paprika, and creole seasoning). Mix the spices with olive oil to create a paste.
- Coat the chicken with the paste; make sure it's fully coated with the spices, and go under the chicken skin.
- Now fill the inside of the chicken with the rice we cooked; you can fill it as much as you want; I recommend not filling it up too much.
- Place the chicken in a prepared baking dish and cover it with foil.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes. Lower the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional hour and a half or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- You can cook the remaining rice and place it on a plate, and serve your chicken on top of the cooked rice.
- Garnish it with toasted raisins, toasted almonds, and freshly chopped parsley.
- Enjoy with your favorite salad.
Video
Notes
- In case you are using various nuts, it’s better to toast them separately as they have different oil content and cooking times.</p>
- Also, you can toast the nuts in a dry skillet for a few minutes until they are fragrant and toasted just a bit. Look for a light toasty color because in case they burn, they will taste bitter.
- You can even prepare the stuffing rice a couple of days in advance and then fill the chicken whenever you need to cook it.
- Bring the chicken to room temperature before stuffing and cooking it. If you cook the chicken straight from the fridge, you will end up with unpleasant brown skin while the inside is still uncooked.
- Also, make sure the oven is hot before you put the stuffed chicken in. When you start cooking it in a cold oven, the skin of the chicken will be soggy and not crispy enough by the time it gets cooked.
