Dajaj Mahshi (Rice-Stuffed Chicken)
Dajaj Mahshi, or simply a whole chicken stuffed with rice, is a flavorful, healthy, and fulfilling dish that is a staple at every Arab home.
Tried this recipe?Mention @sourandsweets or tag #sourandsweets!
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 ½ 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
Top Tips:
- 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.
Nutrition: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate only.
Calories: 420kcal