Cook the chicken, carrots, bay leaves and peppercorns in salted water for about 40 minutes.

Add oil to a deep fireproof pan and fry the chopped onions in it. Add the rice and fry for another 5–6 minutes. Put the cooked chicken in the pan and pour over with water in which the chicken was cooked (the ratio of rice and water should be 1 to 3). Cut the cooked carrot and put it in the pan.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake at 200°C for about 45 minutes or until the water evaporates and the rice softens. Do not cover the pan so that the rice is nicely browned on top.

Pilaf

is a version of risotto, most often with meat. Compared to risotto in which the liquid is added gradually and the rice is stirred all the time, in the pilaf the liquid is added at once, the rice is covered and cooked until it has absorbed all the liquid.

Recipe is from PP cook book Smells like home, contributed by Stefan Šišovski, Macedonia.