Chicken Kabsa

 Chicken Kabsa

Chicken Kabsa is a traditional Saudi rice dish made with aromatic spices, tender chicken, and fragrant basmati rice cooked in a rich tomato based broth.

Cook Time1 hour

Total Time minutes

1 hour 20 minutes

CourseMain Dish

Servings4

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1 whole chicken (1.2–1.5 kg), cut into pieces
• Salt, to taste

Rice

• 3 cups basmati rice
• 4½ cups chicken stock

Kabsa Spice Mix

• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cardamom

Aromatics

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tomatoes, grated
• 2 tbsp tomato paste

Cooking

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
• 2 dried limes (loomi)
• 2 bay leaves

Optional Garnish

• Fried raisins
• Toasted almonds

Instructions

Brown the chicken

• Heat oil/ghee in a large pot.
• Season chicken with salt.
• Brown chicken on all sides, then remove.

Build the sauce

• In the same pot, sauté onion until golden.
• Add garlic and spices; cook 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes and tomato paste; simmer 5 minutes.

Simmer chicken

• Return chicken to pot.
• Add dried limes and bay leaves.
• Add stock, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.

Cook the rice

• Remove chicken and set aside.
• Add rice to the pot.
• Cook until rice is tender and fluffy.

Finish

• Place chicken on top of rice.
• Cover and steam 10 minutes.

Serve

• Garnish with raisins and almonds.
• Serve with yogurt or tomato salsa.

Small Notes :

• Dried lime gives authentic flavor.
• Rice should be soaked 30 minutes for best texture.
• Can be oven-finished for crispy chicken.
• Popular for family gatherings.