1. Caramelize your onions. Slice your medium onions (white, yellow, red – doesn’t matter). Put onions in pan with olive oil and salt. Mix together on low to medium heat. Stir here and there for 25-30 minutes until onions are golden brown.
2. Trim excess fat from chicken thighs. Any extra flaps of skin or other fat hanging off the thighs must get cut off.
3. Put chicken thighs in a large bowl. Add salt, ground cardamom, ground cloves, black pepper, olive oil, cinnamon sticks (broken in half).
4. With your hands (gloves recommended), give that chicken a good mix to make sure all the oil and spices are well combined and coating all the pieces. Set aside for a moment.
5. Get a medium sauce pot and pour in the coconut milk and chicken broth. Heat on low and keep simmering until you’re ready to put your chicken in the oven. Before adding to the cooking pan with the chicken, it will need to be brought to a boil so plan your time.
6. Heat a large pan and cook your chicken thighs and cinnamon sticks for five minutes on each side – starting with the skin side down. We’re not cooking them all the way through – just five minutes on each side.
7. While chicken is cooking wash basmati rice until the water runs clear. Then spread the raw rice on the bottom of your baking dish.
8. Spread your caramelized onions on top of the raw rice.
9. Sprinkle a pinch of ground cardamom and a pinch of ground cloves on top of the onions (this is the "plus extra" mentioned in ingredient list).
10. Place chicken thighs and cinnamon sticks on top of the onions.
11. Scatter your golden raisins and then the optional cashews (if you’re using them) evenly across the pan.
12. You’re coconut milk and chicken broth should be boiling by now and it must be boiling before you add it to your baking pan or dish. As soon as it’s added put the lid on.
13. Place the chicken in a preheated oven at 400 degrees and cook for 40 minutes.
14. While chicken is cooking you can chop your cilantro and dill. We’ll mix some in with the chicken and rice and leave some aside to garnish the dish.
15. When the chicken is finished cooking, take it out of the oven, remove the lid and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Then tightly secure the lid once again. Let it sit like this for 10 minutes.

Now you’re ready to serve!! 

I usually put the chicken on a plate while I mix the rice, caramelized onions and raisins together. I add some of the cilantro and dill here and combine with the rice. You can see the final presentation in the video. I usually serve this family style.