Chicken Machboos
This is the first Bahraini recipe on stonedsoup.net! Like I’ve said before, every country seems to have their own recipe for chicken and rice. Chicken machboos is the Bahraini version and happens to be the national dish. This complex recipe requires quite a bit of ingredients; some you might have to get at an Asian market or a specialty store like the dried limes and rosewater. Lots and lots of steps, but all are fairly easy and well worth the work. Another one pot dish by one pothead.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Spice grinder
Ingredients
Baharat Spice Blend
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1/4 tsp green cardamom seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Chicken Machboos
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 lbs bone in chicken thighs
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 1 large white onion diced
- 1 serrano pepper finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp baharat spice blend
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 3 dried Persian limes holes poked in
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 3 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups basmati rice soaked for 15 minutes; washed and rinsed
- 3 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 3 tbsp parsley chopped
- rosewater
Instructions
- Dry toast the whole spices in a small sauté pan for 3 minutes. Add to a spice grinder and finely grind. Mix in the paprika and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the chicken thighs, skin side down.
- Sear the thighs for 6 minutes a side. Remove from the pan.
- Add the ghee to the sauté pan. Reduce the heat to medium and sauté the onions for 10 minutes.
- Add in the ginger, garlic, and serrano. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the baharat spice blend and ground turmeric. Cook for 1 minute.
- Place the chicken thighs back into the pan along with the dried limes, tomatoes, cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon stick.
- Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
- Carefully remove the chicken again. Stir in the rice, cilantro, parsley, and salt.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Cover. Cook for 20 minutes until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods.
