Chicken Kabsa

Name: Chicken Kabsa
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 1/3 cup oil; 1-2 potatoes cut into cubes, optional; 2 cups onion, diced; 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger; 1 chicken, quartered; 1 tablespoon salt; 3/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon orange zest; 3/4 teaspoon cardamom powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 tsp ground coriander; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 3 whole cloves or 1/4 teaspoon clove powder; 1 piece dried lemon (loumi); 2 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 cans diced tomatoes, or 2 cups fresh diced tomatoes; 1-2 bay leaves; A little vegetable oil to coat the chicken; 1 1/2 cup basmati rice; 2 cups shredded carrots; 1/2 cup peeled whole almonds; 1/4 cup pine nuts; 1/4 cup cashew nuts; 1/3 cup light brown raisins

User Reviews

5.0

6 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings
6 people
Calories
700 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Middle Eastern

Chicken Kabsa

Gavin Ward

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A traditional Gulf dish of flavorful spiced rice with golden roasted chicken, garnished with toasted nuts and raisins

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Ingredients

Servings

For the Chicken:

1/3 cup oil
1-2 potatoes cut into cubes, optional
2 cups onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 chicken, quartered
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon orange zest
3/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 whole cloves or 1/4 teaspoon clove powder
1 piece dried lemon (loumi)
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cans diced tomatoes, or 2 cups fresh diced tomatoes
1-2 bay leaves
A little vegetable oil to coat the chicken

For the Rice:

1 1/2 cup basmati rice soaked in water for 45 min
2 cups shredded carrots

For Topping:

1/2 cup peeled whole almonds
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup cashew nuts
1/3 cup light brown raisins

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Instructions

For the chicken:

Preheat oven to 200 C (400F). This is to brown your chicken once it has boiled.
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan. If using potatoes, add them now and cook for 3-5 minutes, then add the onions and grated ginger. Cook until light golden brown.
Add the chicken pieces, and cook till lightly browned. Add the spices (salt, pepper, orange zest, cardamom, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves or clove powder, loumi, and add the tomato paste and diced or canned tomatoes. Let this come to a boil.
Once mixture boils, add 1 litre of water until chicken is submerged. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook chicken for 25 minutes or so until cooked through, then remove just the chicken pieces to a baking pan, coat very lightly with oil and put in the oven. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until browned. You can turn on the ovens broil function for the last few minutes to brown even more. Keep the tomato stock mixture on the stove to make your rice with.

For the rice:

Place the soaked and drained rice in the tomato stock mixture, along with the shredded carrots. Bring to a boil, then cover with the lid (you can also place a kitchen towel tightly under the lid to further absorb moisture) and cook over medium low heat for 25 minutes or until rice has fully absorbed the liquid.

For the kabsa garnish:

In a medium skillet, add a small amount of oil, then add the almonds and cashews, stirring for a few minutes until starting to turn golden brown. If using pine nuts, add them now because they cook faster. Stir nuts and cook until golden brown, then immediately remove from skillet to a paper towel lined plate to prevent them from burning.
Add the golden raisins, and stir, cooking for a few minutes until they brown and inflate a little. Remove from skillet to a paper towel lined plate.

To assemble:

Place the rice first onto your serving plate. Put the chicken pieces on top, then scatter the toasted nuts and raisins evenly on top. You can garnish with coriander right before serving. Serve with daqous (spicy tomato sauce) or yogurt or a green salad.