Savta’s Stuffed Chicken with Rice and Nuts
Recipe by Belinda Donner · January 2026
A beloved family recipe passed down through generations, tender deboned chicken stuffed with fragrant rice, pine nuts, and parsley, glazed with teriyaki and sweet chili.
In many Sephardic and Mizrahi households, a beautifully stuffed chicken is the centerpiece of the Friday night table. This recipe carries the flavors of a grandmother’s kitchen, the aroma of baharat, the crunch of pine nuts, and the love that goes into preparing something by hand for the people you cherish most.
Ingredients
- For the Chicken:
- 1 whole chicken, deboned
- 1 onion, cut into quarters (for the baking dish)
- Rice Stuffing:
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup rice
- 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- Water, as needed (to cover rice)
- Spices:
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp baharat
- External Seasoning:
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp teriyaki sauce
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Sauté the onion. Heat a pan over medium heat and sauté the chopped onion until golden and fragrant.
- 2
Prepare the rice filling. Add rice, parsley, pine nuts, and spices. Stir well to combine.
- 3
Par-cook the rice. Add enough water to just cover the rice. Cook until the water evaporates and the rice is halfway cooked. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- 4
Stuff the chicken. Generously fill the deboned chicken with the rice mixture and secure if needed.
- 5
Season the chicken. Mix all external seasoning ingredients and brush generously over the chicken.
- 6
Assemble the dish. Place quartered onions in the bottom of a baking dish, set the stuffed chicken on top.
- 7
Bake. Cover and bake at 350°F until chicken is cooked through and golden.
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