Yield
4-6 servings
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cooking Time
2 Hours
Difficulty
Easy
The history of the Cretan rice begins in western Crete, but it has become a tradition of every home throughout the island since it is often cooked. Made from rice, chicken broth and stakovoutyro (the famous sun-kissed butter from Chania). The Cretan rice as a wedding dish symbolises fertility and wishes for plenty of “goods” to the newlywed couple.
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Ingredients
Whole chicken – Free range.
2 chicken stock cubes for extra flavour (optional).
6-8 Lemons.
Salt & pepper.
Olive oil.
Yogurt (Optional).
Instructions
- Prepare whole chicken by washing it under running water tap.
- Fill a stockpot with water and add the chicken to the stockpot.
- Add salt, a few drops of olive oil finally add 2 chicken stock cubes.
Stir and cook on low heat for 1 hour. - Turn chicken over and cover the stockpot.
- While its on low heat, prepare to squeeze the lemon juice out of the lemons.
- Remove the chicken out of the stockpot place it on the oven tray.
Add olive oil, salt, pepper and finally add a little bit of that lemon juice we prepared earlier. - Add more salt and put it in the oven for 1 hour @180 Celsius.
Strain the stock from the pot.
- Now we are ready to add our rice. The ratio is 3 cups of stock for 1 cup of rice.
- Wash the rice before we add it in the stockpot.
- Remove chicken from the oven and cut it into pieces.
- Stir rice and at this point we add the rest of the lemon juice.
- Turn off the stove and cover the stockpot with a towel, followed by the lid pot. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve the rice and the chicken on a plate. Optionally add yogurt.
