Chicken, Roasted Shallot & Almond Pilaf

This recipe uses up leftover Roast Chicken, so you'll need to have some leftovers to hand to try this recipe.

Start by washing the rice. Add to a mixing bowl and pour in enough cold water to cover. Use your hand to agitate the rice, rub the kernels against each other and give it a good swirl. Discard this water and repeat the process until the water runs clear.

Thinly slice the shallots and set a lidded pot (roughly 20-24cm) over a medium-high heat. Add the butter and drop in the shallots with a pinch of salt and cook for 9-10 mins until deeply caramelised and starting to crisp.

Once your shallots are looking good, fish them out, leaving behind all that onion-y, browned butter. Turn down the heat to medium-low and tip in the rice. Stir the rice vigorously to coat the grains with the hot fat. Some grains might stick a little to the bottom of the pot but don’t panic, as they cook and toast, they’ll naturally release.

Stir the rice over the heat for a good 4-5 mins, you want to get a good toast on the rice here. You should be able to smell the rice caramelising as you go. After 5 mins or so, add the garam masala, half of the cooked shallots and a healthy pinch of salt.

Tip in the chicken stock, stir through the rice and crank the heat up to high. Once the pot starts to simmer, slap the lid on and drop the heat to low. Set a timer for 14 mins and do not lift the lid.

While the rice is cooking, prepare your garnish. Shred the roast chicken, cut your carrot into a really fine julienne (matchstick). Peel away a few strips of zest from the lemon, removing as much white pith as you can, and cut into very fine julienne, too.

Once your timer goes off, whip the pan off the heat. Allow to sit for a minute before lifting the lid and gently fluffing the rice. Don’t be too rough here, the grains are still very tender and need to set, but this is an opportune moment to add the garnish. Scatter the chicken almonds, carrot and lemon over the rice along with the remaining onions and finally the mint leaves. Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the rice and pop the lid back on.

Leave to rest for 10 mins. Don’t worry, it’s not going to go cold, the residual heat in the pan will gently steam your garnish and infuse the pilaf with a lemony, minty flavour. This step also gives the rice grains time to set and separate.

Grab some warm plates and divide the yoghurt between them, spread over the plate before topping with heaping portions of pilaf.