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Food Guide to Cooking

Step-by-step guide to making Chicken Machboos

Bahrain's national dish



A step-by-step guide to making Chicken Machboos
Video Credit: Anas Thacharpadikkal/Gulf News

Chicken Machboos translates to 'engaged' in Arabic. Chicken and rice are cooked together using spices on low heat. This dish is also popularly known as Kabsa in the UAE and can be prepared with lamb, chicken or seafood. The spice mix has sharp and flavourful tones of cloves and nutmeg, whereas turmeric powder gives the rich yellow colour.

Food by Gulf News brings a step-by-step guide to making this rice-based dish from the kitchen of Al Bait Alqadeem.

Chicken Machboos

Serves 8 to 10

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes 

Ingredients:

4 chicken leg pieces

1.5 kg basmati rice (pre-soak in water for 30 minutes)

500 gms onion

250 gms tomatoes

2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (equal measures)

Handful of chopped coriander

1/2 bowl clarified butter or ghee 

3 tsp Arabic spice or baharat (dry roasted black pepper, paprika, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

3 pieces loomi (dried lemon)

Handful of fresh coriander

4 pcs small cinnamon stick

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp clove

1 tsp garam masala (Indian spice mix)

2 potatoes

Salt to taste

Clockwise: Loomi (dried lemon), cinnamon stick, coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste, baharat spice, garam masala, tomato, ghee or clarified butter, turmeric powder, salt, onion, chopped coriander

Ingredients to make chicken machboos: [Clockwise] potato, basmati rice, chicken legs

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Method:

1. Heat a saucepan, add clarified butter or ghee, loomi, cinnamon sticks and black pepper. Let the whole spices mix well with the ghee. Sauté for three to four minutes on medium-high heat.

Add ghee or clarified butter

Add cinnamon sticks, loomi and black pepper

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2. Add chopped onions to it and sauté until they turn golden brown.

Add onions to it
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

3. Next, add ginger-garlic paste and sauté until the sharp flavour begins to mellow. Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook for three to four minutes.  

Add ginger-garlic paste

Add the chopped tomatoes

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4. Begin adding all the spice powders. Add baharat, garam masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder and mix them well.

Add baharat or Arabic spice mix

Add turmeric powder

Add garam masala

Add coriander powder

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5. Add freshly chopped coriander and give it a good mix. Then add the chicken pieces to it. Add warm water to the mix, cover the pan with a lid and let it cook. 

Add the chicken pieces

Add warm water and let the chicken cook

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6. Let the spices absorb well into the chicken and let it cook for 30 minutes on medium heat.

Cover the chicken and let it cook
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

7. After 30 minutes, add potatoes, salt and give it a good mix. After three to four minutes remove the chicken and keep it aside.

Cover the chicken and let it cook

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8. Add salt to taste and stir the mix well.

Add salt to taste
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

9. Remove the chicken pieces onto a plate and keep it aside.

Remove the chicken pieces onto a plate and keep it aside
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News
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10. Now, add the soaked rice, chopped coriander and mix them well.

Add the soaked rice
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

11. Stir the rice well and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the water gets absored and the rice becomes dry.

Stir the rice well
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News

12. Once done, add the cooked chicken back onto the rice and sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves. 

Add the chicken back

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13. Seal the pan with an aluminum foil and cover it with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes on slow flame. This way of air-sealed cooking is called dum and is a common cooking method to make different types of biryani.

Seal the pan with aluminium foil

Cover the pan with a lid

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Serve hot and enjoy!

Chicken Machboos
Image Credit: Stefan Lindeque/Gulf News
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Chef Sajjad Hussain
He is a chef at the historical site turned restaurant, Al Bait Alqadeem

Tell us about your favourite dishes or recipes at food@gulfnews.com

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