Prep Time 15 Min
Cook Time 45 Min
Servings4 servings People
Calories650 kcal
I’ve made this Egyptian fake pigeon a few times now, mostly for family dinners when we want something hearty but not too fussy. It’s chicken thighs stuffed with rice and a bit of liver, boiled first then browned, which gives it that look and taste close to the real pigeon dish without the hassle of dealing with birds. In my kitchen, we eat it with the broth on the side, sometimes during colder months or when company’s coming over. The broth picks up all the spices, making it worthwhile to save. One thing I learned the hard way is to really drain the rice well after soaking—first batch I did, it came out a little mushy inside the rolls because I rushed that step. Now I pat it dry with a towel. The whole thing takes about an hour, and it’s forgiving if you’re not precise with the wrapping. Just make sure the foil is sealed tight so the rice doesn’t leak out during boiling. My family likes the cinnamon in there; it ties everything together without overpowering.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken thighs
- 1 cup Egyptian rice (or short-grain), soaked 15 minutes and drained
- 9 oz chicken livers, chopped small
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 1 medium onion (grated for its juice only)
- Salt and black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Parchment paper and aluminum foil
- Toothpicks
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- For the broth:
- 1 medium onion, cut into cubes
- 1 medium carrot, cut into cubes
- 3 whole cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- Salt, black pepper, and 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped fine (for serving)
Instructions
- Soak the chicken thighs in cold water with lemon juice and salt for 15 minutes, rinse them good under running water till no more funky smell.
- Grate an onion, squeeze out the juice and pour it over the chicken, season everything with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and some chili if you want spice.
- Soak rice quarter hour, rinse, drain well, mix in the chopped onion.
- Sauté the chopped onion till soft in a bit of oil, add chopped livers, season with salt, pepper, cinnamon, cook till livers firm up, stir into rice.
- Flatten each thigh on parchment, pile in some rice mix, roll up tight like a sausage, toothpick it closed, wrap in foil over parchment, crimp ends secure.
- Boil water with cubed onion, carrot, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, salt, pepper.
- Drop in the parcels, hard boil 10 minutes, turn down to simmer 30 minutes till chicken tender.
- Cool a bit, peel off foil and paper, pull toothpicks.
- Stir tomato paste with oil and pepper, smear on the rolls.
- Heat ghee and oil in pan, brown rolls all sides couple minutes each.
- Serve with broth strained if you like, parsley scattered over.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Takes basic chicken and rice up a notch without needing special ingredients.
- Rice gets fluffy inside, chicken stays juicy from the boiling step.
- Broth makes two dishes in one, good for sopping bread at the table.
Chef’s Tips for Perfection
- Don’t skimp on draining rice or it’ll steam too much and clump; I use a clean towel sometimes.
- Simmer low after boiling so wrappers don’t burst and rice spills.
- Swap liver for more rice if anyone’s picky about offal.
Storage and Reheating
Keep leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days in a covered dish with some broth to stay moist. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water over low heat, or microwave covered till hot, about 2 minutes.
Nutritional Notes
Per serving: around 650 calories, give or take depending on oil used. High in protein from chicken and livers, carbs from rice.
