Seasoned Rice with Chicken

This is my version of the Uzbek plov dish. The main difference is the fact that I use chicken instead of lamb. Also, I've simplified the recipe quite a bit. Actually, I came up with this version of the recipe a long time ago: between a full-time job and two small children, I barely had any time left to cook during the day, so I needed a recipe that would be rather simple and most importantly quick to prepare, and the prepared food would last us for a couple of days. My kids are all grown up now and my life is not that hectic anymore, but this dish still remains a favorite in our family.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup (3 dl) basmati rice
2 1/2 cup (6 dl) water
1 tsp salt
10.6 oz (300 g) skinless, boneless chicken breast
3 carrots, grated
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
cooking oil for frying

Directions:

1. Wash the rice thoroughly.
2. In a large casserole, add water, salt and rice. Bring the water to boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to very low, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the burner and remove the casserole from the heat. Drain the rice from any leftover water.
3. Wash the chicken breasts and dry them with paper towel. Chop them into 1.5-inch (4 cm) cubes.
4. In large frying pan, heat up some cooking oil and add chicken, carrots, onion, salt, and pepper. Fry over high heat for about 2-3 minutes stirring constantly; reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for another 15 minutes.  
5. Add the cooked rice and garlic to the frying pan; mix well. Remove the frying pan from the heat and let it set for 10 minutes.

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