Chicken Kabsa: The Weeknight Version of Saudi Arabia's National Dish

Chicken kabsa is the Saudi national dish made in about an hour instead of an afternoon. The structure is identical to the lamb version: the meat is browned and simmered into a spiced tomato broth, the rice is then cooked in that broth so every grain takes on the flavour, and the meat goes back on top to serve.

The one thing that separates a good kabsa from a competent pilaf is the dried lime. Do not skip it.

What makes it kabsa

Three things. Loomi, the dried black lime, which gives a sour, faintly fermented depth that nothing else provides. A warm baharat blend of cinnamon, clove, cardamom and black pepper. And the method itself, where the rice absorbs a meat broth rather than being cooked separately and mixed in.

That last point is what distinguishes it from biryani, which is layered rather than absorbed, and we set the full comparison out in the lamb kabsa recipe.

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6. About 1 hour 10 minutes.

• 1.2 kg bone-in chicken pieces, skin on, legs and thighs
• 400 g basmati rice
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons ghee or oil
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 dried limes (loomi), pierced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1.5 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
• 0.25 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1.2 litres water
• Salt
• To finish: toasted flaked almonds, raisins, chopped parsley

Method

1. Rinse and soak the rice

Rinse the basmati until the water runs clear, then soak it for 20 minutes and drain. This is not optional in a dish where the rice must stay separate. Unsoaked basmati absorbs unevenly and breaks.

2. Brown the chicken properly

Heat the ghee in a wide heavy pot and brown the chicken pieces skin side down without moving them, about five minutes, then turn. You are after real colour, because this is where most of the flavour of the finished broth comes from. Remove and set aside.

3. Build the base

Soften the onions in the same fat for eight to ten minutes until golden, not pale. Add the garlic and ginger for one minute, then the whole spices, the cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves and bay.

Add the ground spices and stir for thirty seconds until they smell toasted rather than raw. Then the tomato paste, cooked for two minutes until it darkens, then the chopped tomatoes.

4. Simmer the chicken

Return the chicken, add the pierced dried limes, the grated carrot, the water and a generous amount of salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 25 to 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.