African Style Chicken with Rice & Almonds

Clippped from an old copy of Southern Living. Directions are for either stovetop or rice cooker.

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2lb)  whole chickens
• 1  quart water
• 3  medium onions, chopped, divided
• 2 -3  tablespoons butter or 2 -3  tablespoons margarine
• 1⁄2 cup  blanched almond, chopped coarsely
• 1⁄2 cup raisins (golden or brown)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
• 1 1⁄2 cups  uncooked long grain white rice

Directions

1. Place chicken in a large stockpot or Dutch oven and cover with the water, along with 1 of the chopped onions, and bring to a boil.
2. Once it reaches boiling, lower the heat and let simmer on a high enough heat to keep the water just under the boiling point, until the chicken is cooked, about 45 minutes or so.
3. Remove chicken from broth, but save the cooking liquid.
4. Let the chicken cool slightly, then skin and bone it, and cut the meat into bite size pieces and set aside.
5. Set a bowl in the sink with a colander set inside it and pour in the broth from the pot to strain it.
6. Measure out 3 cups of the liquid for this recipe.
7. Melt butter in large skillet and saute remaining 2 chopped onions until tender.
8. Remove onion from pan using a slotted spoon and set aside with the chopped chicken meat.
9. Add the almonds to the same pan and cook on low just a few minutes until golden (be careful not to burn them).
10. Remove nuts from pan and add to the chicken mixture and proceed with one of the two options below then jump to the end of these steps.
11. STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS: Add the 3 cups reserved liquid, the raisins, and the salt and pepper to the same pan and bring to a boil.
12. Add rice, cover, and reduce heat.
13. Simmer rice 20 minutes or until tender.
14. OR RICE COOKER INSTRUCTIONS: If you have a rice cooker, dump contents of skillet (the nuts and any remaining butter), along with the raw rice, 3 cups broth, raisins, and salt & pepper into a rice cooker, stir to even out the ingredients, and cook according to rice cooker instructions.
15. When rice is finished, add the chicken mixture to the rice and toss with a fork to fluff and mix and serve.