Chicken kabsa or chicken machboos is truly a love at first bite! This delicious dish, which consists of rice and meat, is commonly found in Middle Eastern countries and is recognized as the national dish of Saudi Arabia. Initially, a tomato-based chicken stock is prepared, followed by cooking the rice in this flavorful stock, while the chicken is baked to achieve a crispier skin.
What goes into the chicken kabsa Recipe
Chicken
Use bone-in, skin-on chicken for this recipe. I used about 3 lbs because I have larger pieces of chicken. You can choose any cuts, such as chicken quarters, thighs, or a whole chicken. Quarters or thighs (the red meat) and bone-in chicken are preferred, as they create a flavorful broth.
Rice for Kabsa
I used extra-long grain basmati rice. Wash and then soak your rice for 30 minutes so it can fluff up and cook evenly.
Onion
I used 1 medium-sized white onion. Peel and chop the onion, then cook with the whole spices until translucent.
Whole spices
You’ll need bay leaves, green cardamom, cinnamon sticks, and dried limes or lemons.
Ground spices for chicken kabsa
Some unique spices for this dish are cinnamon and cardamom powder. You’ll also need allspice, which is a kind of berry usually used in Middle Eastern dishes.
Other than that, you’ll also need salt, black pepper powder, and paprika.
Tomato paste and tomato sauce
To make the tomato-based chicken stock, I used a combination of tomato sauce and tomato paste. Both of the ingredients were salt-free, but if yours have salt, then add slightly less salt to your rice or test before adding more.
How to serve Saudi Chicken Kabsa
This chicken and rice dish (Kabsa or Machboos) is a complete meal; it offers protein and carbs while being packed with flavors. Chicken kabsa is often serve with tomato sauce, also known as daqoos or sahawig, simply blend all the ingredients together and pulse several times until it’s ready. I prefer to make this tomato sauce a little spicy because the rice isn’t spicy at all. If someone enjoys extra heat, they can always add more.
Garnish
Kabsa is served with crisp almonds and raisins in addition to caramelized onions. If you are not a big fan of these ingredients, you can skip the garnish altogether, as I did; but if you like to add the garnish, then fry some chopped almonds and raisins with 1 tbsp of oil and garnish the kabsa right before serving.
How to store leftover chicken and Rice Kabsa
I store any leftover chicken and rice in an airtight container for up to 3 days in a refrigerator or a few weeks in the freezer. Make sure to divide it into small portions for easy reheating.
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Chicken Kabsa
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs chicken bone in and skin on (use up to 3 lbs)
- 1/3 cup oil olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
Whole Spices
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 5 bay leaves
- 5 green cardamom
- 3 dried lime or lemon
Ground spices
- 2.5 tsp salt 1/4 tsp to baste the chicken
- 1.25 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp to baste the chicken
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp all spice powder
Other ingredients
- 2 cups rice
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup tomato sauce
- 4.5 cups water or more, (see note)
- Almonds for garnish
Instructions
- Wash and soak the rice.
- Peel and chop the onion. In a pan, add whole spices and chopped onion. Sauté for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
- Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, all the ground spices, and mix it well. Now add chicken with the skin side down. Cook for a minute. Turn to the other side and cook for another minute over high heat.
- Your goal is to sear the chicken then add 4 cups of water and let the chicken boil for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- After 15 minutes take out the chicken and reserve 2 tbsp of chicken juices.
- In the reserved chicken juices, add 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of paprika, and brush it all over the chicken and let it bake for 20-25 minutes
- In the remaining broth, add your soaked rice. You want to measure the broth at this point because you need a total of 3.5 cups of broth. If you have less than that, then add more water.
- Cook your rice on high heat until it comes to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and cook until most of the water is dry, about 5 minutes. Keep an eye out to avoid burning.
- Once most of the water is dry and you can see holes forming on the surface, cover the pot with foil paper or paper towels and the lid. Steam the rice for 10-15 minutes on low heat.
- Fluff up the rice with the fork.
- Meanwhile, the chicken is done baking, broil for the last 2 minutes for coloring.
- Add a layer of rice and top it with the chicken, and enjoy.
- You can garnish with toasted almonds and raisins.