Shared by Orly Peli-Bronshtein
Shared by Orly Peli-Bronshtein
Chicken with Domate me Oriz (Bulgarian Tomato Rice)
Yield: 4 servingsTime: about 1½ hours
Chicken with Domate me Oriz (Bulgarian Tomato Rice)
Yield: 4 servingsTime: about 1½ hoursFamily Journey
Dupnitsa, BulgariaSofia, Bulgaria
Jaffa, Israel
After picking up chicken for Shabbat on Thursdays, Orly Peli-Bronshtein’s grandmother Marika would use the extra pieces to make Bulgarian chicken with tomatoes and rice. Marika and her sister would seek out the wish bone and each hoped to get the larger piece when it broke.
“Through her cooking, [my grandmother] preserved the flavors and traditions of her Bulgarian heritage, while creating a warm and welcoming home for her family in Israel,” Orly shares. Marika immigrated from Bulgaria to Israel in 1948 with two children in tow, just two years after her husband passed away from typhus he contracted in a labor camp during World War II. Along with her older brother who had already moved to Israel, Marika built a new life.
“She spoke Bulgarian, Ladino, Russian, and Hebrew, and cooking was one of the great passions of her life,” Orly shares. In addition to the chicken and tomato rice, she made lots of vegetable stews called guvetch, fresh borekas, and noodles from scratch.
In honor of her memory, Orly revived this beloved childhood dish and served it as part of the House Pot project at Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel, where talented cooks and chefs shared a treasured dish. Orly has updated her grandmother’s recipe to make it her own: she likes to sear the chicken before adding it to the pan with the rice and while her grandmother would never have used water in place of broth, Orly says it’s fine since the dish is already so flavorful.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken legs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
- 3 tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste, or sundried tomato paste
- 3-4 thyme stems
- 2 cups Jasmine rice
- 3 cups chicken broth or water, boiling
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- Chopped parsley (to serve)
For the cherry tomato confit (optional):
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3-4 thyme stems
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Step 1
Pat the chicken legs dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, lidded sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place the chicken legs in the pan, skin-side down first. Cook until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Don't rush it — the chicken should be nicely browned on both sides. Remove the chicken legs and set aside.
Step 2
Lower the heat to medium-high and in the same pan, fry the onion until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes (add a little oil if needed).
Step 3
Add the chopped tomatoes, garlic, paprika, and tomato paste. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Continue frying while mixing with a wooden spoon, until a fragrant paste forms, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 4
Add the rice. Fry, mixing with a wooden spoon, until the rice is well coated, 2-3 minutes.
Step 5
Place the cooked chicken legs on top of the rice. Add hot broth or water and bring to a boil. Taste the liquid and add salt if needed. Cover and cook over low heat, 30-35 minutes.
Step 6
Meanwhile, prepare the cherry tomato confit (optional): Place the cherry tomatoes in a small pot with garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper, and cover with olive oil. Gently simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and start to break down, shaking the pot gently occasionally. Be careful not to scorch the tomatoes.
Step 7
When the rice and chicken have finished cooking, uncover the sauté pan. Make sure the chicken is well cooked and gently fluff the rice if you like. Serve hot. Alternatively, to crisp the dish up a bit, place the uncovered pan into a 400F° oven for about 10 minutes.
Step 8
Serve warm with cherry tomato confit and garnish with chopped parsley.
