Riz Ala' Dajaj (Chicken and Rice)

Riz ala' dajaj (pronounced da-jej) or chicken and rice is a delicious Lebanese rice dish traditionally cooked for special occasions. It is typically served as a side dish but can definitely be eaten as a main dish (it has chicken and beef in it!). Here's a fun fact: when I was a kid, a few of my friends would add in their own ingredients to this dish like hot sauce, salad dressing, or yogurt when they were visiting for dinner. Personally, I adore this recipe as it is and would not add a thing! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of rice (brown or white)
• 1 chicken breast (or your choice of chicken)
• 1/4 pound of ground beef
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• Allspice (to taste)
• Salt
  
• Pepper
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Cinnamon 

Instructions: 

1. In a pot, add chicken, a cinnamon stick, a peeled onion and cover with water. Cover pot and bring to a boil
2. Uncover pot and let simmer for 30 to 40 minutes to allow the chicken to cook
3. Move the chicken to a plate. Remove the cinnamon stick and onion. Save broth and put it aside.
4. Cut up chicken in small cubes
5. In a separate pot, add olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted, add beef, a teaspoon of salt, a dash of pepper, a teaspoon of allspice, and a dash of cinnamon. Sauté until the meat is no longer red (keep the mixture juicy)
6. Add in chicken cubes and toss. Add rice (Eva usually rinses her rice first) and toss a few times
7. Add your broth from earlier and cover the rice a half of an inch over. If there is not enough broth, add water. Bring it to a boil
8. Simmer and cover for 30-45 minutes or until the water is gone (taste the juice while cooking to see if more spices are needed)                             
9. *Optional* Toast some nuts of your choice and put on top of your cooked rice (shaved almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, etc.)