Recipe: Syrian Chicken & Rice plus Pumpkin Upside Down Cupcakes

To celebrate Halloween, we have Syrian Chicken & Rice plus Pumpkin Upside Down Cupcakes, both from Allie Wolding, better known as 'The Girl With The Whisk Tattoo'- as seen on 'Sugar Rush' on Netflix, MTV’s 'Meme Cakes' and of course her own Instagram

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Syrian Chicken & Rice

Ingredients

  • 1 fully cooked rotisserie chicken
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, halved and roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 yellow pepper, roughly chopped
  • 14 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes
  • 8 oz can of tomato sauce
  • 2 tbsp allspice
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • jasmine rice to serve, prepared per package instructions

Directions

Pull apart rotisserie chicken with your hands, reserving skinless pieces of meat to the side. Discard bones or save to make a stock for future use.

Heat large sauté pan to medium-high. Heat oil in hot pan for 2 minutes. 

Add onion, garlic, and yellow pepper to the pan. Sauté for 5 minutes until the onions and peppers are starting to brown.

Add canned tomato, tomato sauce, and spices plus salt and pepper. 

Bring to simmer, then add the pulled chicken to the pan.

Meanwhile, cook jasmine rice according to package instructions. 

When the chicken is hot, remove from heat. 

Serve in a bowl with rice underneath.

Pumpkin Spice Upside-Down Cupcakes

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 box white cake mix
  • 12 oz can pumpkin puree
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup coconut oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Frosting ingredients

  • 2 x 8 oz packs cream cheese
  • 2 sticks of butter
  • 32 oz package powdered sugar

Toppings

  • pretzel sticks - a small bag
  • orange food coloring
  • green food coloring
  • 2 pastry bags
  • ‘Wilton 1M’ tip for cake decorating
  • ‘Wilton #3’ tip for cake decorating
  • edible glitter, halloween sprinkles - optional
  • toothpicks

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 °F.

Mix cake ingredients together with electric mixer on low for one minute, then on medium speed for 2 minutes. Do not overmix.

Scoop batter ⅔ full into cupcake liners in a cupcake pan (recipe makes 24 cupcakes).

Bake cupcakes for 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave to cool on rack.

Prepare frosting by beating the butter and powdered sugar together with mixer on high speed until there are no lumps. 

Add cream cheese and continue mixing. Scrape down bowl and give a final mix on high speed for one more minute.

Flip cooled cupcakes upside down, individually onto small plates. Set aside 5 cupcakes and cut up into quarters.

Take ½ cup of frosting and dye green. Place green icing into pastry bag with #3 decorating tip, set aside.

Take remainder of frosting and dye orange. Place orange icing into pastry bag fitted with 1M decorating tip, set aside.

Take cut-up pieces of cupcake you reserved from earlier, and place one of the quarters onto each of the upside-down cupcakes to form a small tower.

Pipe in an upwards direction starting at the base of the cupcake, using orange bag, to create "pumpkin stripes" that cover the entire bottom cupcake. Repeat with the top with the cut-up piece.

Place pretzel stick directly on top to create pumpkin stem.

Take green bag and pipe vines and leaves coming from stem.

Top with sprinkles and/or glitter.

Serve on individual plates with forks.

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