CHICKEN KABSA | ARABIAN CHICKEN AND RICE

Chicken kabsa – Turn your next dinner into a feast with this Arabian style chicken and rice. Spiced grilled chicken and flavorful rice makes this the ultimate choice for any special occasion. Channel your inner chef, and cook up a storm for friends and family.

For this chicken kabsa recipe, you’ll need large pieces of chicken. I cut a large chicken into 6 pieces. We’ll be cooking chicken in two stages. First in the pan and then on the grill. And that’s the secret of the unbeatable taste of this dish.

There’s one important element that makes both the chicken and rice so delicious. Kabsa spice. You can either buy it from Middle Eastern grocery stores, or make your own homemade version. This spice mix is basically a blend of ground cardamom, ground white pepper, saffron, ground cinnamon, ground all spice and dried whole lime powder.

CHICKEN KABSA RECIPE | ARABIC CHICKEN AND RICE 
Feast like a king with this Arabian style flavorful rice and grilled chicken



INGREDIENTS
Kabsa spice mix:

• ¼ tsp ground cardamom (cardamom powder)
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper (white pepper powder)
• ¼ tsp saffron
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon (cinnamon powder)
• ½ tsp ground all spice
• ½ tsp dried whole lime powder

Chicken kabsa:

• 2 tbsp oil or butter
• 3 onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp minced ginger (ginger paste)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (garlic paste)
• 1 green chili
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 6 cloves
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp tomato puree (tomato paste)
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg (nutmeg powder)
• ½ tsp ground black pepper (black pepper powder)
• ¼ tsp ground cumin (cumin powder)
• ½ tsp ground coriander (coriander powder)
• 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 200 g canned diced tomatoes (or 3 tomatoes chopped)
• 2 chicken cubes
• 1½ kg whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces
• 3 cups basmati rice, rinsed
• ¼ cup raisins
• Water
• Salt to taste
• Raisins, to garnish (optional)
• Slivered almonds, to garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make kabsa spice mix, combine together cardamom, white pepper, saffron, cinnamon, all spice and lime powder in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the onions turn golden brown. Add bay leaves, cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Fry for a minute.
3. Stir in tomato purée. Add ground nutmeg, ground black pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander and kabsa spice. Season with salt. Fry the spices for a minute. Add carrots and diced tomatoes. Stir, and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add chicken cubes and chicken pieces. Brown chicken, turning occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan. Set aside.
5. Add rice and raisins. Pour in 4 cups water. Season with salt. Bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover with lid, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
6. Preheat grill. Grill chicken for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Serve rice with grilled chicken.

Recipe Adapted : CHICKEN KABSA | ARABIAN CHICKEN AND RICE @ nishkitchen