Saffron Chicken & Rice Bake

Prep Pat chicken dry and season with 0.5 tsp salt and pepper. Crumble saffron into 2 tbsp hot stock and rest 5 minutes to bloom. Crack dried lime, tap out seeds, and grind shell to a coarse powder. Combine cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, sweet paprika, dried lime powder, and remaining 0.5 tsp salt in a small bowl to make kabsa spice. Dice onion. Mince garlic. Dice tomato. Pick parsley leaves. Cut lemon into wedges.

Sear Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a 24cm heavy skillet over medium-high 90 seconds. Lay chicken skin-side down and sear 5 minutes without moving, until skin is crackled and deep gold. Flip and sear 2 minutes more. Lift chicken to a plate.

Build 1 Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to the same skillet and cook 3 minutes until soft. Stir in garlic, tomato, tomato paste, and half the kabsa spice 90 seconds until tomato breaks down and the base turns deep red.

Simmer Scatter rice across the pan and stir 60 seconds to coat. Pour in saffron stock and remaining chicken stock. Add bay leaf and remaining kabsa spice. Nestle chicken skin-side up into the rice. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce to medium-low and simmer uncovered 22 minutes without stirring, until liquid is absorbed and rice is just tender.

Build 2 While rice cooks, toast almonds with raisins in a dry pan over medium heat 3 minutes stirring often, until almonds turn deep gold and raisins plump. Tip onto a plate.

Plate Raise heat to medium-high for the final 90 seconds, listening for a soft crackle that signals the soccarat forming at the bottom. Rest off the heat 5 minutes. Scatter toasted almonds, raisins, and parsley across the top, and serve with lemon wedges.