Our take on this classic mixed rice dish popular in Indian cuisine features marinated chicken thighs, tomatoes, shallots and plenty of flavorful spices.

Preparation

Cut chicken thighs into 2-inch pieces. Mix together the yogurt, garam masala, saffron, ginger, garlic, lemon juice and salt and toss with the chicken to coat. Marinate for 2 hours in refrigerator.

To make the saffron milk, pour milk into a small bowl, then crush the saffron between your fingers into the milk. Stir and let infuse until the last step of the recipe.

Heat ghee in a sauté pan on medium heat and add the sliced shallots. Sauté until shallots begin to lightly caramelize. Reduce heat to low and continue to fry until evenly golden brown, then drain through a strainer, reserving the ghee. Place half of the shallots on a paper towel to drain and then add the other half back to the sauté pan and add the tomato and jalapeño. Cook until tomato is broken down and beginning to caramelize, then turn off heat and reserve.

Heat Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade, scrape away and reserve excess marinade. In small batches, brown chicken pieces in the ghee left from frying the shallots, then remove to a dish. Add the reserved marinade to the pan with the tomato mixture and bring to a simmer. Add the seared chicken and stir to coat. Turn off heat and reserve.

Toast spices for the rice in a 4-quart stock pot. Add the water, lemon peel, salt and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Drain the rice and add it to the water. Boil 5–7 minutes, until just al dente, then drain off the water and remove whole spices.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Layer the rice and chicken with sauce in the Dutch oven (rice, chicken, rice, chicken, rice). Pour the saffron milk evenly over the top, then sprinkle with the reserved fried shallots. Cover with a lid and bake for 40–45 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped cilantro.