Dacha Chicken Pilaf

Maria Kalenska February 23, 2026

Leave a review

This is a story of how you can take the girl out of Odesa, but you can’t take Odesa out of the girl. When Anna was two, her whole family moved to Germany, including her grandparents and great-grandfather. The family’s roots were Jewish, and Germany was welcoming members of the Jewish diaspora from around the world. Despite the big move, Anna’s grandparents remained very active participants of Ukrainian and Odesan emigre life in Berlin. Anna’s Grandpa Valik was the head of the Club of the Odesans for many years, giving lectures on the history and art of his hometown.

At home, her Grandma Galina cooked a variety of dacha dishes, including this wonderful pilaf. There is a whole collection of special dishes in Ukraine that people cook during the warmer months, when they move from their homes in the city to their dacha, or summer cottage. This is a lot less luxurious than it might seem, especially since dachas were often very basic dwellings. Sometimes they didn’t even have running water or electricity, but they always had nature all around. Now that Anna has her own young daughter, she feeds her this delicious pilaf, passing on the memories of her Odesan life.

12
12

1h 40m 10

Easy No Refined Sugar Meat

Cook Mode Keep your screen awake while you cook

Ingredients

Dacha Chicken Pilaf

2 pounds (1 kilogram) onions
21 ounces (600 grams) carrots
3 and 1/4 pounds (1 and 1/2 kilograms) boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts or thighs
2 pounds (1 kilogram) long-grain white rice, such as Beleaves Jasmine Rice
1 head garlic
sunflower oil, for frying
1 teaspoon ground cumin, such as Pereg
sea salt
freshly ground Gefen Pepper

Explore

chicken pilaf Cuisines of Odesa Maria Kalenska pilaf rice Ukrainian

Directions

Peel and chop the onions. Peel and cut the carrots into thick strips. Cut the chicken into medium-size pieces. Rinse the rice thoroughly under running cold water until the water runs clear. Wash the garlic head, then remove the outer layer of skin but don’t peel the cloves.
Heat sunflower oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fry until golden, then add the chicken and continue frying until the chicken starts to brown, about five minutes.
Add the carrots and cook for four to five minutes, stirring constantly so they don’t stick to the pan.
Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients. Reduce the heat, add the cumin, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 40 to 50 minutes.
Layer the rice on top and pour in more water so it covers the rice by about three-fourths of an inch (two centimeters). Gently press the garlic head into the center of the rice. Bring to a rapid boil and boil until the water evaporates, then cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Don’t stir during this time.
Remove from the heat and let the pilaf rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Mix everything thoroughly together and serve hot, garnished with the softened garlic cloves if desired.

Description:
Reprinted with permission from Cuisines of Odesa: Recipes and Stories from Ukraine’s Historic City by Maria Kalenska © 2026. Photography by Elena Groza © 2026. Published by Weldon Owen, an imprint of Insight Editions. Purchase on Amazon.

Easy
Odesan “French” Soup
Maria Kalenska1h 30m
recipe
Medium
Dumplings
Irene Buchman and Olga Jaeger3h
recipe
Easy
Dill Chicken and Rice
Shaindy Siff1h
recipe
Medium
Eggplant-Wrapped Chicken
Leah Schapira3h
recipe
Medium
Chicken and Herbed Dumplings
Estee Kafra6h 30m
recipe
Easy
Rustic Olive and Fennel Chicken
Leah Hamaoui2h 10m
recipe
Easy
Dobby’s Chicken and Potatoes
Dobby Baum2h 20m
recipe
Easy
Chicken Picatta
Daphna Rabinovitch40m
recipe

Explore

chicken pilaf Cuisines of Odesa Maria Kalenska pilaf rice Ukrainian

Did you make this recipe yet?

Photos from Our Community

See how these recipes turned out in real kitchens. Photos from home cooks will appear here as they're shared.

Tell Us How It Went: Share Your Experience

0 Comments

Dacha Chicken Pilaf

Maria Kalenska

Recipe Description:

This is a story of how you can take the girl out of Odesa, but you can’t take Odesa out of the girl. When Anna was two, her whole family moved to Germany, including her grandparents and great-grandfather. The family’s roots were Jewish, and Germany was welcoming members of the Jewish diaspora from around the world. Despite the big move, Anna’s grandparents remained very active participants of Ukrainian and Odesan emigre life in Berlin. Anna’s Grandpa Valik was the head of the Club of the Odesans for many years, giving lectures on the history and art of his hometown.

At home, her Grandma Galina cooked a variety of dacha dishes, including this wonderful pilaf. There is a whole collection of special dishes in Ukraine that people cook during the warmer months, when they move from their homes in the city to their dacha, or summer cottage. This is a lot less luxurious than it might seem, especially since dachas were often very basic dwellings. Sometimes they didn’t even have running water or electricity, but they always had nature all around. Now that Anna has her own young daughter, she feeds her this delicious pilaf, passing on the memories of her Odesan life.

Ingredients

Dacha Chicken Pilaf

2 pounds (1 kilogram) onions
21 ounces (600 grams) carrots
3 and 1/4 pounds (1 and 1/2 kilograms) boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts or thighs
2 pounds (1 kilogram) long-grain white rice, such as Beleaves Jasmine Rice
1 head garlic
sunflower oil, for frying
1 teaspoon ground cumin, such as Pereg
sea salt
freshly ground Gefen Pepper

Directions

Step 1

Peel and chop the onions. Peel and cut the carrots into thick strips. Cut the chicken into medium-size pieces. Rinse the rice thoroughly under running cold water until the water runs clear. Wash the garlic head, then remove the outer layer of skin but don’t peel the cloves.
Heat sunflower oil in a deep pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fry until golden, then add the chicken and continue frying until the chicken starts to brown, about five minutes.
Add the carrots and cook for four to five minutes, stirring constantly so they don’t stick to the pan.
Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients. Reduce the heat, add the cumin, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 40 to 50 minutes.
Layer the rice on top and pour in more water so it covers the rice by about three-fourths of an inch (two centimeters). Gently press the garlic head into the center of the rice. Bring to a rapid boil and boil until the water evaporates, then cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Don’t stir during this time.
Remove from the heat and let the pilaf rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Mix everything thoroughly together and serve hot, garnished with the softened garlic cloves if desired.

Step 2 - About