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Meat, Maghreb and Middle East

Tbit, chicken stuffed with rice

Tbit is a whole chicken stuffed with tomato and cardamom rice, slow cooked in the oven for hours alongside whole eggs. For 4 people, it takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes, with a medium difficulty level and a cost of €3.10 per person. The key to success is the long, tightly covered cooking time, which makes the rice soft and the chicken tender.

This Sunday, we're putting a tbit in the oven, a chicken stuffed with tomato and cardamom rice, slow cooked for hours with whole eggs.

Tbit, chicken stuffed with rice
Total time
3 h 30
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€3.10
Calories per person
670 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Tbit is the kind of dish that fills the whole house with smell while the oven does all the work. The whole chicken, stuffed with rice seasoned with tomato, cinnamon, and cardamom, cooks so long that the meat practically falls off the bone on its own. The rice around it slowly swells, soaks up the cooking juices, and turns soft, almost creamy in places.

This is a Sunday dish, the kind you start in the early afternoon and leave alone for three hours. The whole eggs, cooked right in the pot and peeled just before serving, always surprise kids the first time they see them. Mon Chou likes to suggest it in winter, when you have time to let things simmer and want a generous dish to share.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Whole chicken 1.6 kg

Pantry

  • Round riceoften in the pantry 200 g
  • Crushed tomatoesoften in the pantry 200 g
  • Cardamomoften in the pantry 4 pods
  • Cinnamonoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Cuminoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Turmericoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onion 2

Dairy

  • Eggs 4

Allergens Eggs

The step by step recipe

  1. Sauté one chopped onion with the spices, add the rinsed rice and tomatoes, then pour in half a glass of water. Let it cook until half done. 10 min

    The rice should only be half cooked at this stage, it will finish cooking inside the chicken.

  2. Stuff the chicken with the rice, then close it up with kitchen string.

    Fill it only two thirds full, since the rice will expand.

  3. Place the chicken in a pot with the other sliced onion, the rest of the rice, the whole eggs arranged around it, and 20 cl of water.

    Wash the eggs well before adding them.

  4. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 150°C. 3 h

    Don't lift the cover during cooking.

  5. Uncover, put it back in for 10 minutes to brown the skin, and peel the eggs before serving. 10 min

    Switch to the broiler for a nicely browned skin.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick a free range chicken if you can, its skin holds up better over the long cooking time and browns more nicely at the end.
  • Use a pot that seals tightly under the foil, it's the trapped steam that cooks the rice around the chicken.
  • If the rice looks dry when you check near the end, add a little hot water rather than cold so you don't disrupt the cooking.

The variations

  • Swap the cardamom for a whole cinnamon stick and a pinch of clove if you don't have any on hand.
  • For a meatless version, replace the chicken with a large stuffed cabbage filled with the same spiced rice, and cook it in a covered pot on low heat instead of in the oven.
  • For kids in a hurry, cook the tomato rice separately in a saucepan and serve it alongside plain roasted chicken pieces, skipping the stuffing and the long cooking time.

What to serve it with

  • A cucumber and mint salad
  • Flatbread for scooping up juices
  • Mint tea

Storage

Tbit keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container, chicken and rice together. It freezes well once cooled, ideally with the bones removed. Reheat gently in a pan or oven with a splash of water so the rice doesn't dry out.

Questions about this dish

Can you make tbit the day before?

Yes, tbit reheats really well the next day, and the rice even has more time to soak up the spices. Reheat covered with a splash of water so it doesn't dry out.

Why do the eggs cook whole in their shells?

The eggs cook whole in their shells right in the pot, which protects them during the three hours of cooking. They turn brown and pick up a distinct flavor from the tomato juice and spices, then you peel them just before serving.

What if the rice overflows during cooking?

That usually means the chicken was packed too full or the rice wasn't drained enough beforehand. Next time, fill it only two thirds full, since the rice keeps swelling as it cooks.

Can you use basmati rice instead of round rice?

Round rice works better because it absorbs the juices and turns soft without falling apart. Basmati rice tends to stay drier and less tender in this kind of long, slow cooking.

How long does it take to make a tbit, chicken stuffed with rice?

Count 3 h 30 in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a tbit, chicken stuffed with rice?

About 670 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a tbit, chicken stuffed with rice cost?

About €3.10 per serving, or €12.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains eggs. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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