One Pot Chicken Kabsah

Chicken Kabsa considered the national dish of Saudi Arabia is a rice and meat dish served with fried raisins and almonds along with yoghurt sauce and green salads for the side. The name is derived from the word kabs, meaning "press" which is the technique used in cooking Kabsa. All the ingredients are added in one pot but not all at the same time. So it is not an add all and cook till done dish, but working in layers to get the flavours married perfectly.

(2020 images)
From my experience of dining out in Saudi, I found that Kabsah is not the same in every restaurant. Upon further internet reading, I learnt that there is more than one way of making Kabsah. The recipe I am sharing today is designed to be a one-pot chicken kabsah and the ingredients are easily available. I have also included tips and alternatives so you can make this even if you don't have all the ingredients. Anyone with expertise in cooking ghee rice can make this one-pot Kabsah! It is much easier than our biryanis... well I feel most of the Arabic rice recipes are much easier than our dum biryani! :-) 

What is the difference between Kabsa, Machboos and Mandi?

Essentially they are all the same. Kabsa considered the national dish of Saudi Arabia is a rice and meat dish served with fried raisins and almonds along with yoghurt sauce and green salads for the side. The name is derived from the word kabs, meaning "press" which is the technique used in cooking Kabsa. The variations of Saudi Kabsah are popular in the neighbouring Gulf States of the Arabian peninsula including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait as Machboos, meaning "to be engaged". Mandi is also a rice and meat dish originating from Yemen and means "dew" referring to the soft meat cooked in a tandoor oven above the pot of rice. The three rice dish has its own spice blend - Kabsa spice mix, Baharat or Bezar and for Mandi it is Hawajj. Another definite difference I noticed is Kabsah has some shredded carrot which is not usually found in machboos and mandi. 

Click here for an easy Chicken Macbhoos recipe!

How to make one-pot chicken kabsah?

Keep all the ingredients listed under the recipe ready to use. Refer to the Notes section under my recipe for more details and variations. 

Heat oil in the same pot you intend to make the kabsa. You can use any oil or ghee. Fry the almonds until golden and remove.

Fry the raisins till puffed remove and keep them aside.

Add more oil or ghee if required and then add all the whole spices. Saute until fragrant.

Add the chopped onions, saute until translucent.

Add the ginger-garlic paste, saute until the raw smell of garlic wades off (~ 5mins)

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, grated carrot and mix well (~ 5 mins)

Add the cut chicken along with all the spice powders and enough salt.

Cook covered on medium flame until chicken turns white and oil surfaces (~10 mins)

Add enough water (2 to 21/4 cup) and adjust the salt. Cover and cook on low until chicken is cooked completely (~15 mins)

Remove the chicken pieces and keep them aside.

Add the drained rice, more hot water if required and adjust the salt. (make sure there is water above the grains)

Cook on medium to high flame until you can see the grains on the surface (~ 5 mins). Reduce the flame to the lowest.

Place a foil or clean kitchen cloth and then cover with the tight lid. Slide a flat pan under the pot - this prevents the burning of food and distributes heat evenly. Cook for 10 minutes on the lowest flame. Switch off and don't disturb for another 10 minutes.

Take the chicken pieces and grill or broil them in the oven or stovetop with some butter.

Open the pot, stir the rice.

Serve Kabsa topped with the grilled chicken pieces and the fried almonds and raisins along with salads and yoghurt.

(Made for 2019 Eid-ul-Fitr)

One-Pot Chicken Kabsa Recipe

Yields: 2 to 3 servings

Total time: 1 hour 40 mins

INGREDIENTS

• 1 and 1/2 cup basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30 mins, drained completely
• 1/4 cup oil (olive oil or sunflower or canola etc.)
• 1/3 cup almonds, blanched, peeled and slit 
• 1/4 cup black large raisins, fried till puffed
• 4 green cardamoms
• 4 to 6 cloves
• 2" cinnamon stick
• 1 loomi (dried black lime)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 medium-sized red onion, diced finely
• 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• 2 large tomatoes (300gms), chopped roughly 
• 1/2 of a small carrot (60gms), grated
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 800gms whole chicken with skin, cut into 4 or 8 pieces
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice powder* (see notes)
• salt to taste
• Approx 2 1/4 cups of water or enough to cook the rice** (see notes)

METHOD

1. Heat the oil in a wide-mouthed and deep pot with a flat bottom on a medium flame.
2. Fry the prepped almonds until golden brown and remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. 
3. Fry the raisins till puffed remove and keep them aside. 
4. Add all the whole spices and saute until fragrant.
5. Add the chopped onions, saute until translucent.
6. Add the ginger-garlic paste, saute until the raw smell of garlic wades off. (~ 5mins)
7. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, grated carrot and mix well. (~ 5 mins)
8. Add the cut chicken along with all the spice powders and enough salt. 
9. Cook covered on medium flame until chicken turns white and oil surfaces. (~10 mins)
10. Add at least 2 cups of water and adjust the salt.
11. Cover and cook on low until chicken is cooked completely. (~15 mins)
12. Remove the chicken pieces and keep them aside. 
13. Add the drained rice, more hot water if required and adjust the salt. (make sure there is water above the grains)
14. Cook on medium to high flame until you can see the grains on the surface. (~ 5 mins)
15. Reduce the flame to the lowest.
16. Place a foil or clean kitchen cloth and then cover with the tight lid.
17. Slide a flat pan under the pot - this prevents the burning of food and distributes heat evenly.
18. Cook for 10 minutes on the lowest flame.
19. Switch off and don't disturb for another 10 minutes.
20. Take the chicken pieces and grill or broil them in the oven or stovetop with some butter. 
21. Serve Kabsa topped with the grilled chicken pieces and the fried almonds and raisins along with salads and yoghurt.

NOTES: 

• *allspice is not garam masala. You may use nutmeg powder instead or skip it. You may skip all the spice powders I have used and use store-bought Kabsa spice mix instead. Use 2 teaspoons of Kabsa spice mix for this recipe.  
• ** The total amount of water will depend on the rice quality and how long it was soaked or not soaked. So the standard ratio of every cup of rice needs 2 cups of water may not apply here as chicken also releases water and there is the moisture of tomato and carrot too. To prevent overcooked mushy rice, it is better to add less water in the beginning. So I find it safe to boil the chicken in 2 cups of water and then when we add the rice, I adjust as needed. If you had not soaked the rice enough, it may need more water and if you soaked too long, then lesser. The best way to go is to have a film of water above the rice immediately after adding the rice. You can always add more hot water if the rice needs to be cooked further. The rice will get cooked in steam even after switching off, so you must let it sit covered for a few minutes before you can serve.
• You may add some orange zest or rinds along with shredded carrots for a different flavour.

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