Chicken Kabsa - Arabian Chicken Al Kabsa Rice (Machboos)

Chicken Kabsa is the special Saudi Arabian Rice recipe famous all around the middle east and Arabian region. It's a recipe that can make your dinner time special as it's suitable for all taste buds. Steamed cooked Kabsa rice with oven-baked chicken makes a perfect taste on each bite. Family favorite easy dinner recipe, also famous as Chicken Machboos!

Looking for Arabic recipes?  Check out Chicken Mandi, Shish Tawook, Authentic Falafel, Saudi Albaik Chicken, and Chicken Maqluba.

You will surely love these recipes to add value to your dinner table. Don't forget to watch my peas pulao recipe that I cooked with love for family get together to serve with curry.

What is Chicken Kabsa?

Perfectly cooked chicken and rice with Arabian Flavor

It's a Saudi Arabian traditional food made with chicken stock by adding flavor of garlic, regional herbs, spices and tomato paste. Rice cooked in chicken gravy and served with baked chicken and roasted almonds and raisins. It's a tempting and most delicious Arabian rice recipe perfect for dinner and lunch.

Chicken Kabsa is famous all around Middle eastern region, and many people know the same dish with Chicken Majboos which is the 2nd name of Kabsa.

Why I love this Recipe?

I have tried chicken kabsa many times in different regions at a different restaurant so I can say, every chef brings a different taste but the taste that I personally preferred is homemade. Taaza is a famous fast food chain in the middle eastern region and I love to go there just to eat 'chicken kabsa'. The flavor of sticky rice with chicken and dried lemon makes me crave to have it. Our visit to Dubai Mall is incomplete without having chicken kabsa as my son loves it.

Arabian rice is so famous all around the world, Mandi, Bukhari, Mazbi, Madfoon all are the best rice recipes but the taste of chicken kabsa has unique flavor and aroma that compel to eat again and again.

Difference Between Mandi And Kabsa

Many people who live outside the Arabian region mix Mandi and Kabsa together. Both are Arabic rice but the recipes are totally different. Arabian Kabsa is a 1 pot recipe cooked on a stovetop with meat stock, tomato paste, and dried lemon flavor. While the Mandi meat and rice cooked in an underground oven (tandoor). You can differentiate the rice with color as Mandi is saffron yellow color rice and Kabsa rice is brown in color.

How to Make Chicken Kabsa

The making of chicken kabsa is so simple and easy and can be prepared with a handful of ingredients. I personally focus on rice cooking as it should be perfectly cooked.

First step is to soak the rice before 30 minutes of cooking. I have used Basmati rice as it's best in flavor and aroma.

Next, we need chicken! Most people use the big pieces of chicken but here I used the small cutting of chicken as it does not make any difference in taste. Cooking process of big and small pieces of chicken is the same.

Let's Cook (Step by Step)

Start cooking by saute the chopped onion with grated ginger and garlic and cooked until the onion become translucent and aromatic. Then added chicken and cook on high heat until chicken changes the color.

Seasoning & Cooking of Chicken Gravy/Stock

Seasoned with salt, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, garlic powder and dried lemon. Mixed well with all the spices and add tomato paste and freshly cubed tomatoes and cook on high heat until it forms a gravy. Then added water and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Bake the Chicken

After 20 minutes, removed the chicken and bake it oven for 20 minutes or you can fry on stove top to give it a crispy brown color.

Kabsa Rice Cooking

In the meanwhile, you can add soaked rice in chicken gravy and cook it for 15 to 20 minutes on low medium heat to perfect cook the rice.

Roasting

Roast the Almonds and raisins in a seperate pan to add with rice.

Tip: Soak the almonds in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes then remove the almond skins and roast by adding little olive oil.

Platter Setting

Now assembly time comes up which I like most during overall preparation. Set the rice in a plater and top with baked chicken pieces and roasted almonds and raisins.

Set your dinner table and serve this delicious and mouthwatering Chicken Kabsa with Shahta (a special salsa to serve with kabsa rice). So if you are looking Best chicken kabsa near me then it's a time to prepare in your kitchen as homemade is the best!

6 Tips to Make Restaurant Style Kabsa Rice

1. Don't soak the rice for a long time otherwise, it will be mushy after cooking.
2. Also, note down the quantity of water in gravy to cook rice. Note down the proper measurement of rice and water. 2 cups of soaked rice will take 4 cups of water.
3. Don't cook the chicken in stock for too long otherwise, the chicken will deform.
4. Bake the chicken pieces to give color to the chicken not for cooking as the chicken is already cooked in stock.
5. In chicken Kabsa, it's preferred to take chicken without skin.
6. Don't roast the raisins on high heat otherwise, it will burn.

What is Dried Lemon?

Dried lemons have a special taste normally used in Persian and Arabian cuisine. They are made by boiling ripe limes in saltwater, and then sun drying until the insides turn black. The outside color varies from tan to black. In this recipe, I don't have the pure dried lemon so I used the home dried lemon.

In this recipe, I used the half-dried lemon (homemade) as I don't have the fully dried. So you can use lemon juice as an alternative.

Recipe Video

Here I captured the recipe to make chicken kabsa. If you are making chicken kabsa first time then it would be easy to watch the video recipe as it will help to follow the quick steps. My entire kitchen was aromatic with baked chicken and rice cooking that make us starve. Simple and quick directions might help if you are trying the first time. Let's have a look!

Thanks for watching the video! If you enjoy it, please subscribe to our Youtube Channel and hit the bell icon to get video alert.

Print

5 from 6 votes

Chicken Kabsa - Arabian Rice (Machboos)

Making the most popular 'Chicken Kabsa' recipe. The Saudi Arabian chicken and rice make a perfect meal. Watch the video recipe step by step.

Prep Time20 mins

Active Time25 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Main Course, Rice

Cuisine: Arabic

Keyword: chicken kabsa, chicken kabsa recipe, kabsa rice, saudi chicken kabsa

Yield: 2 Persons

Calories: 604kcal

Author: Hinz

Materials

• 250 gms Chicken
• 1.5 cups Soaked Basmati Rice
• 1 tbsp Oil
• ½ cup Onion chopped
• 1 tsp Ginger Grated
• 1 tsp Garlic Grated
• 1.5 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Cardamom Powder
• ½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
• ½ tsp Cinnamon Powder
• ½ tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Dried Lemon
• 1.5 tsp Tomato Paste
• 1 cup Fresh Tomato Cubes
• 2 glasses Water
• Kabsa Topping
• 1 tbsp Almonds boiled, peeled & roasted
• ½ tbsp Raisins roasted

Instructions

• Soak the basmati rice before 30 minutes of cooking.
• Cut, clean, and wash the Chicken Pieces.
• Add oil in a heated pan.
• Place chopped onion in heated oil and saute for few minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
• Add grated ginger and garlic in onion and saute together.
• As the onion starts to change color then add chicken and cook on high heat.
• Continuous stir until the chicken starts to change color.
• Now season with salt, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, black pepper, and garlic powder.
• Mix well and cook for few seconds to get rid of the spice rawness.
• Now add tomato paste and mix well.
• Add fresh tomato cubes (peeled skin and deseed).
• Cook well and stir until the tomatoes blend and start forming a gravy.
• Now add water and give it a good mix.
• Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, take out the chicken and keep it in a baking dish to bake.
• Just bake the chicken for 10 minutes at 220 degrees to give it a nice golden color.
• In a gravy, add soaked rice and give it a gentle mix.
• Cover the pan and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice cook on the stovetop.
• In the meanwhile, Boil the almonds and peel the skin.
• Roast the almonds and raisins.
• Pan-fry the shredded carrots and place on rice (optional)
• Now set the platter.
• In a big platter, place the rice and add the chicken on top.
• Topped with roasted almonds and raisins.

Video

Notes

Don't soak the rice for a long time otherwise, it will be mushy after cooking.
Also, note down the quantity of water in gravy to cook rice. Note down the proper measurement of rice and water. 2 cups of soaked rice will take 4 cups of water.
Don't cook the chicken in stock for too long otherwise, the chicken will deform.
Bake the chicken pieces to give color to the chicken not for cooking as the chicken is already cooked in stock.
In chicken Kabsa, it's preferred to take chicken without skin.
Don't roast the raisins on high heat otherwise, it will burn.

Nutrition

Calories: 604kcal

Share this recipe with your family and friends. It would be great if you leave your feedback in the comment box. If you make this recipe at home then share a picture with the hashtag #hinzcooking