Chicken and Chestnut Plov

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, cover with warm water, add 1 tsp salt and leave to soak for 3 hours. Pour 60 ml hot water over the saffron and let it steep for 15 minutes.

Cut the chicken breast into 3–4 cm pieces and season with salt and pepper. Slice the onion into thin half-rings and cut the dried apricots into strips.

Melt half the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Sauté the onion for 5–7 minutes until golden, add the chicken and cook for 8–10 minutes until lightly browned.

Add the chestnuts, dried apricots and raisins, pour in 100 ml water, cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, until the dried fruit softens and the chicken is fully cooked through.

Drain the soaked rice. Bring 2.5 L water to the boil in a large pot, add 1 tsp salt, add the rice and cook for 7–10 minutes: the grains should be half-cooked with a firm core. Drain the rice in a colander.

Melt the remaining butter in a clean pot, add the rice, pour over the saffron infusion, cover with a lid wrapped in a towel, and steam over the lowest heat for 25–30 minutes. Do not stir the rice while it steams.

Remove the rice from the heat and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Gently fluff it with a fork and serve on its own or together with the chicken, chestnuts and dried fruit.