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My Mama gave me this chicken plov (rice pilaf) recipe over the phone. I changed it up just a little with a touch of Cayenne pepper. Traditional plov is made with lamb pork or beef. This is our own speedy version.
Rice Cooker: Where have you been all these years? My hubby bought me a rice cooker for Mothers Day and I’ve already made this chicken plov several times. (p.s. It’s a great buy at Costco ~$30) It was so easy and fast. I don’t have to stand over it; I just put my prepped ingredients in the rice cooker and press the button. Voila!!
Ingredients for Chicken Plov:
1 large chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch x 1-inch pieces
2 cups white rice, rinsed well and drained
1 large carrot, grated
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 1/2 cups water or low sodium chicken broth*
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
*Use as much water/broth as your rice maker requires. note: If cooking on stove top, add 2 cups water for every 1 cup rice.
How to make Plov (Rice Pilaf):
1. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add chicken pieces, than saute until golden and cooked through.
2. Next, add 1 diced onion to the skillet with chicken and saute about 3 minutes.
3. Add grated carrots to the skillet and saute 2 more minutes.
4. Add 2 Tbsp of butter and 1/4 cup ketchup and mix everything together.
5. Once the butter melts, add 2 cups of rinsed rice to the skillet. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt, 1/8 tsp of black pepper, 1/8 tsp of Cayenne pepper and mix everything together.
6. Transfer mixture to the rice cooker, add 2 1/2 cups of water and season more to taste if desired. Set the rice cooker to “White rice”.
– OR – If you don’t have a rice cooker, you can put everything into a pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook over medium/low heat for about 20 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed
Notes: If you don’t rinse your rice, you will require more water. Left over plov is always a good thing; just saute it up. I think its even better reheated in a frying pan. It gives it a certain crunch.
Ukrainian Chicken Plov (Rice Pilaf)
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch x 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups white rice, rinsed well and drained
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 1/2 cups water or low sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add chicken pieces, saute them until golden and cooked through.
- Next, add 1 diced onion to the skillet with chicken and saute about 3 minutes.
- Add grated carrots to the skillet and saute 2 more minutes.
- Add 2 Tbsp of butter and 1/4 cup ketchup and mix everything together.
- Once the butter melts, add 2 cups of rinsed rice to the skillet. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt, 1/8 tsp of black pepper, 1/8 tsp of Cayenne pepper and mix everything together.
- Transfer mixture to the rice cooker, add 2 1/2 cups of water and season more to taste if desired. Set the rice cooker to "White rice". - OR - If you don't have a rice cooker, you can put everything into a pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook over medium/low heat for about 20 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed.
I used a dutch oven, covered with a lid, and finished it off in a 325F oven for about 45 minutes. Also added a couple bay leaves per my husband’s request. Delicious! He said it tastes just like how his mom made it. <3
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Sam! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Would this be able to be frozen after cooking and cooling? I love plov but haven’t ever experimented with using it as freezer meal prep.
Hi Poppy! I haven’t tested it myself, but I have heard Plov and Pilaf both can freeze well. Let us know how it is if you experiment.
This is very similar to my moms recipe. It’s such a delicious and easy meal. I use a rice cooker to get perfect rice each time.
Aww, that’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This recipe is absolutely wonderful, it’s a regular staple at our dinner table. I use 2 chicken breasts, 2 onions and 5 carrots along with some garlics. Thanks Natasha!
Great to hear that, Reggie! I’m so glad you love the recipe.
I made it with 2 chicken breasts and 2 carrots to increase the protein and veggies because I’m diabetic. I also stirred in some parsley at the end to add some more colour. Enjoyed by all.
That’s great, Kathy! Thank you for sharing.
Wow this was sooo easy to make! And it was delicious. With a newborn on the way this should be super easy meal to make for our family. I didn’t add any salt into the water but I think I’ll have to next time or maybe use chicken broth. Thanks for an easy dinner recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Yuliya! Congratulations to you and your family! Blessings to you and the rest of your pregnancy!
Thank you so much for the recipe. I am using a Dutch pot, should I added hot water or cold water? Thank you.
Hi Nadia, I used cold water! I hope you love this recipe!
Loved this recipe thank you! I used brown rice due to preference but this dish reminded me of living in Ukraine.
I love it when recipes remind us of the good times! Thank you for sharing this lovely review with me!
What do you think about using brown rice?
Hi Julia, I haven’t tested this with brown rice but brown rice takes significantly longer to cook and requires more water. You would have to use the brown rice function on the rice maker if using a rice maker. You might also love our instant pot brown rice plov.
Hi Natasha,
I want to make this for my son- he’s a very picker eater, but he loves garlic. Do you think garlic would be good in this, and how would you add it? Thanks!
Hi Jen, Check out my latest 2 plov recipes for garlic ideas. We love garlic as well!
Natasha, what kind of pan do you use in some of your demonstrations? Looks like cast iron with small handles? If it goes from stovetop to oven that’s a win, as long as I could use it on a glass cooktop, since that’s what I have for now.
Hi Linda, we have most of our favorite items linked in our shop here.
What type of rice and brand would you recommend to get rice that is fluffy and not sticky?
Also, is there any substitutions that can be used in place of the ketchup?
Hi Rachel, I really do think ketchup gives the best flavor but you can make it work with tomato paste instead. Rinsed white rice does the trick for us if you experiment with any other please let me know I’d love to know how you like that.
Do you think we could do this in the Instapot like the beef? Thank you!
I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
So I make your recipes all the time, and today I made this/grechka plov. I didnt have white rice so I decided to combine 2 of your recipes, first half of this and second half of the grechka plov recipe. Turned out great, thanks for all that you do 🙂
Sounds like a fun experiment, Yana! Thank you for sharing this with me! I’m so happy you enjoyed our recipe!
Omg omg omg! So good! Can’t belive I haven’t made this sooner! It’s so easy and cooks quick!
I used left over chicken and added 2 diced garlic cloves. Soooo good!
Was a hit with my Hubby and toddler.
That’s so great, Krissy! Thank you for that wonderful review!
I just made this for the family and they loved it! I followed the recipe exactly, though I may have added more carrots. Thank you for healthy easy yummy comfort food!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
I can’t believe rice can be so difficult to get just right (or maybe it’s just me) but my plov always comes out more like sticky rice. I used jasmine rice and rinsed it beforehand and then I cooked it with 4 cups of water (I used 2 cups rice) on the stovetop. Anything I should tweak or change so I can get less sticky/mushy rice? I honestly don’t know what I’m doing wrong. It also tends to burn on the bottom :/ otherwise the taste is there, just trying to get the texture right. Thank you!
Hi Ana, I would recommend using a heavy bottomed pot or a cast iron pot like a dutch oven for better heat conduction to prevent the scorching problem (or maybe reducing the heat so it is just making hissing sounds when the lid is on). Also, try not to stir the rice while it is cooking which can cause it to release starch and become more sticky. Lastly, make sure you are measuring rice with dry ingredients cups and water with liquid measuring cups. I hope that helps!
Have you tried cooking the rice and ketchup and carrot and chicken mixture with chicken broth instead of water?
Hi Natasha, we started doing that after our beef plov post and it is a great way to add more flavor. I completely forgot to update this one!. Thank you for the tip! 🙂
This is my favorite dish ever. I could eat this everyday lol
Awesome, I’m happy to hear that Lana! Thanks for sharing!
For this recipe on the stove top, do I add 2 1/2 cups of water and then an additional 2 cups for each cups of rice? So probably a total of 41/2?!? Or do I just follow the rice instructions?! I’m confused 😳
Hi Kara, for stovetop, you will add 2 cups water for every 1 cup of rice since the lid on a stove-top pot doesn’t seal like a rice maker would so it requires quite a bit more water. So for 2 cups rice you need 4 cups water when cooking on the stovetop.