Turkish-Style Spiced Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Tbsp Turkish Spice Blend
• 1 oz Almonds, sliced
• 3/4 cup Basmati Rice
• 12 oz Sweet Potato
• 2 oz Onion, chopped
• 100 mL Greek Yoghurt
• 2 Tbsp Parsley
• 1 Lemon
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
• 1 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
• 1 tsp Sugar

Method

This is an assembled dish, so timing matters — organise your work so everything finishes within five minutes of each other. Start the sweet potatoes first, then rice, then chicken, finishing with the yoghurt sauce. The principle is simple: build layers of colour and texture by roasting, pan-frying, and cold emulsification rather than cooking everything in one pot.

Cut sweet potatoes into 1 cm cubes. Toss with half the onion, half the garlic salt, and 15 mL oil. Spread on a baking tray and roast at 200°C on the middle shelf. They're done when the edges turn mahogany and the centres soften — about 18–20 minutes. Stir halfway through so they caramelise evenly, not steam.

While the potatoes roast, heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 15 mL oil and the remaining onion; cook, stirring, until translucent and sweet, about 90 seconds — this softens the alliums and builds the base flavour. Pour in the chicken broth and rice, bring to a rolling boil uncovered, then cover, reduce to low heat, and leave undisturbed for 12 minutes. The steam trapped under the lid cooks the rice evenly through rice-cooking. When the liquid disappears, the rice is done; leave the lid on.

Toast the sliced almonds in a large frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and light golden, 2–3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Pat the chicken breasts dry — this allows them to brown rather than steam. Season with the Turkish spice blend, remaining garlic salt, and ground pepper. Increase the pan heat to medium-high, add 15 mL oil, and lay in the chicken. Pan-frying for 90 seconds per side develops a golden crust. Transfer to a baking tray and roast at 200°C for 10–12 minutes until the thickest part reaches 75°C internally.

While the chicken roasts, zest half the lemon and squeeze its juice. Finely chop the parsley. Whisk the Greek yoghurt with the lemon zest, juice, sugar, half the parsley, salt, and pepper until smooth and pourable — the acid begins to thin the yoghurt slightly, making it spoonable rather than thick.

Fluff the rice with a fork, fold through the almonds and remaining parsley. Slice the chicken. Divide rice among plates, top with sweet potatoes and chicken, spoon the yoghurt sauce over, and serve with lemon wedges for cutting into the richness.