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Chicken Machboos (Machboos Ad-Dajaj)

Chicken machboos on a plate
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Delicious spiced rice with chicken pieces and spices from Bahrain – a country in the Gulf

Ingredients

Scale
  • 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.

Find it online: https://feastfulfork.com/chicken-machbous/