What is Chicken Machboos?
Chicken machboos is a delicious dish from Bahrain, a country in the Gulf. Bahraini spiced chicken, or machboos ad-dajaj as it is also called, is considered their national dish. It is the Bahraini version of Saudi Arabia’s popular kabsa or India and Pakistan’s biryani. This dish from the Middle East features chicken pieces marinated in mixed spices and herbs, then cooked with rice for an aromatic and flavorful meal.
Differences Between Chicken Machboos, Biryani, and Kabsa
Chicken machboos, chicken biryani, and chicken kabsa are three popular rice-based dishes from the Middle East and South Asia, each offering its unique flavor and preparation style. Despite their similarities as spiced rice and chicken dishes, they differ in key ways that make each one distinct.
1. Chicken Machboos: A Gulf Tradition
Chicken machboos, a classic dish from the Gulf countries, especially Bahrain and Kuwait, is known for its use of a fragrant blend of spices. The key to machboos is the baharat spice mix, which includes a warm combination of cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. The chicken is often cooked with tomatoes, onions, and dried black limes (loomi), giving the dish a tangy, smoky flavor. The rice is usually cooked in the same pot as the chicken, allowing the grains to soak up the spices and juices, resulting in a deeply flavored meal.
2. Chicken Biryani: A South Asian Masterpiece
Biryani is a traditional dish across South Asia, particularly in India and Pakistan. It differs from machboos and kabsa in its layering technique and variety of spices. Chicken biryani is made by partially cooking the rice separately from the spiced chicken, which is typically marinated in yogurt, ginger, garlic, and garam masala. The semi-cooked rice and chicken are then layered together and cooked in a sealed pot (a method called dum), allowing the flavors to meld while the rice finishes cooking.
3. Chicken Kabsa: The Saudi Favorite
Chicken kabsa is a staple of Saudi Arabian cuisine, often considered the national dish. While similar to machboos in some ways, Kabsa has its distinct identity. It typically features a simpler spice blend than biryani, focusing on black lime, cloves, and coriander or parsley. What sets Kabsa apart is the use of fresh vegetables, like carrots and bell peppers, which are cooked with rice and chicken. The chicken is usually seared or roasted before being added to the pot, creating a crispy skin and juicy interior.
Ingredients for Chicken Machboos
The key ingredients in chicken machboos (or machboos ad-dajaj, as it is called locally), are chicken and rice (dajaj being the Arabic term for chicken). It therefore follows that machboos alrubyan is shrimp with rice, and machboos al-laham is meat (beef or lamb) with rice.
The rest of the ingredients for machboos are loads of onions,diced tomatoes, and a variety of spices along with what is called “baharat” which literally means “mixed spices.” I find it puzzling in the beginning why the use of other spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves when it has already baharat. As the taste of machboos comes about, I got the answer to that question. You, too, would love the aroma of machboos while in cooking process.
Spices for machboos
Baharat (Arabic spice mix) are mostly available in grocery stores and supermarket. Having said that, baharat can be mixed from scratch. Here is the fun and challenging part: not all baharats are created equal. Keeping in mind that the success, and yummy-ness of the machboos (or kapsa or biryani) is almost always coming from the spice mix. It is normal to have a favorite brand for baharat, a favorite spice seller, or a favorite recipe.
“Not all baharats are created equal.“
I have tried many versions of baharat through my years of cooking. My experimentation with this spice mix was brought about by my mom-in-law’s superb version of the dish and she claimed that it was because of the baharat, which she said she buys from the same seller in the local market. There is no uniformity or perfection in the ratio of the spices, believe it or not. It is a matter of preference, really. You may try the baharat recipe below if you do not already have it in your pantry. You can definitely make adjustments on your next until you get your correct spice blend:
How to Make Your Own Baharat Spice Blend
- 2 teaspoons – ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon – ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon – ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon – ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon – cinnamon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon – cardamom powder
- 1/4 teaspoon – cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Mix all the spices and keep them in an airtight container until use.
Tip: Whole spices can be roasted over medium heat in a pan and ground using a coffee grinder. This will give the dish a nice, smoky taste.
How to Cook Chicken Machboos
Machboos does not qualify as “quick.” “Easy” yes, because it is not difficult to cook, but not “quick,” because of the cooking time. It is one of the secrets of a successful machboos.
Our recipe in the recipe card below does not ask for roasted spice because we are going to cook our spices before adding the chicken pieces. That would cover the roasting process. And that is another secret to achieving a successful machboos.
Here is basically how this recipe would go:
- Sautee onions over medium-high heat until a little more than golden brown. This will take about 5-7 minutes. Overcooking the onions could be better, however, it could also make your dish a bit darker. The color will, however, balance when rice is mixed.
- Add spice powder and cook until fragrant – around a minute or so.
- Add chicken pieces. Cook until half done. This will take about 25 minutes.
- Add herbs and black lime. Leave covered over low heat to cook completely, turning a few times.
- Mix with pre-boiled basmati rice and simmer under low heat for at least half an hour. Rice is pre-boiled with cinnamon sticks, cardamom, and cloves.
Did you notice the amount of time it takes for each step? You will enjoy the process, though, I can guarantee you that.
How to Serve Chicken Machboos
- Serve with fresh lemon juice or lemon wedges on the side. The dish is good even without the lemon, but it can also enhance the taste of machboos.
- Green chili peppers or hot peppers on the side are also a nice addition to the taste of machboos. I see locals biting on the green chillies as they eat their machboos, or kapsa.
- Hot sauce, anyone? My kids ask for hot sauce when I serve them this dish. Probably their replacement for the fresh hot peppers.
- Partner this dish with Arabic salad tabbouleh, green salad, or fattoush.
- As this is a crowd-pleaser, chicken machboos is a good candidate for potluck lunches or dinners.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover machboos can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer for a month.
Thaw, then heat in a Dutch oven. Stir machboos tenderly with a wooden spoon over medium-high heat during the first 2 minutes, then adjust heat to medium, turn the rice dish twice until all the chicken and rice are heated.
You can also put machboos on a baking dish, cover it with aluminum foil, and heat it in the oven at 300F for about half an hour.
Cooking Tips:
- Chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken legs, or any combination are good options, especially if you are serving this during an occasion. “Easier to deal with,” as they say.
- Be generous with onions. It provides a different kind of sweet taste to the dish.
- One small tomato can be enough. If you are generous with tomatoes, you can adjust or omit the tomato paste-water ingredient.
- Use chicken broth instead of water for tastier machboos. Or add chicken stock, but remove salt from the lineup of ingredients.
- Replace fresh cilantro (fresh coriander) with 1 tablespoon of coriander powder. Add the coriander powder as you would fresh coriander, i.e., along with fresh parsley.
- You can boil the basmati rice without the spices (cloves, cinnamon bark, and cardamom) and simply add these spices to the chicken along with baharat and turmeric.
- Replace pierced black lime (loomi) with black lemon powder, but use it with caution as it could be relatively strong.
- Add the chicken in batches if you are doubling the recipe.
Chicken Machboos (Machboos Ad-Dajaj)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Main dish
- Method: cooking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
Delicious spiced rice with chicken pieces and spices from Bahrain – a country in the Gulf
Ingredients
- 1 chicken (about 1.5 kg, cut into 8 pieces)
- 2 large onions (chopped)
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tbsp baharat
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ cups peeled (chopped tomatoes or 2 small tomatoes)
- 3 cloves
- 1 black lemon (pierced once)
- 3 pieces cinnamon bark
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cups basmati or long-grain rice
- 2 tbsps fresh chopped coriander leaves
- 2 tbsps fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup tomato paste mixed with an equal amount of water
Instructions
- Boil rice with cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon bark until rice is half done, drain.
- In a deep pot, fry the onion in ghee until golden or light brown. Add baharat and turmeric and cook stirring for a minute. At this stage, the onion will darken more.
- Add chicken pieces and turn twice, or until the juices come out.
- Add tomatoes, salt, black pepper, coriander, and parsley. Stir well to combine. Add half a cup of water – or less.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes over low-medium heat, then add the tomato paste mixture. The sauce at this stage should be thick.
- Add rice to chicken mixture; mix until rice is completely covered with the sauce. Alternatively, arrange the rice and chicken pieces in layers ending with the rice.
- Cover with a towel or towel paper between the pot and its lid, and leave to cook over very low heat for at least 10 minutes. Longer is better.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
