This Sumac Roast Chicken with Spiced Rice is my version of a small, comforting holiday meal. The chicken is marinated with lemon, olive oil, garlic, sumac, and allspice, then stuffed with fragrant rice cooked with onions, currants, and pine nuts. I first made it when we moved into our new house and ate dinner on a folding table in the middle of an empty room. It felt simple and imperfect, but also like the beginning of something special. Whether you make it for Thanksgiving for two or just a cozy night in, this recipe turns an ordinary evening into a little celebration.
Roast Chicken Stuffed with Middle Eastern Spiced Rice
This Sumac Roast Chicken with Spiced Rice is a cozy, small-scale take on a holiday meal. Marinated in lemon, olive oil, garlic, sumac, and allspice, then stuffed with fragrant rice cooked with onions, currants, and pine nuts. It’s the kind of dish that makes any night feel special, whether you’re hosting a quiet Thanksgiving for two or sharing a simple dinner around a folding table that finally feels like home.
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 whole chicken around 3.5 lbs
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1 lemon juiced and zested
- 3 garlic cloves grated on a microplace
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Stuffing
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp pine nuts
- 3 tbsp dried currants
- 1/3 cup basmati rice rinsed well and drained
- 1 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- In a bowl combine olive oil, sumac, allspice, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt and pepper to make a loose paste. Rub this paste all over the chicken making sure to get under the skin and into the cavity. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Make the stuffing by placing a small pan with a lid on the stove and turning to medium low heat. Add olive oil and onion and let in cooking until soft, about 10-12 minutes. Add the cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper and cook another minute. Then add pine nuts and currants and cook another 2 minutes until the pine nuts are slightly brown. Add the rice and stock, turn the heat up to boil, cover the pot and simmer on low for 10 minutes until the rice has absorbed the liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Stuff the rice inside the cavity of the chicken and place it in an ovenproof pan. Roast for 2 hours, basting after 1 hour to keep the meat moist. Cover with foil and let the bird rest for 10 minutes before serving.