Kabsa (Saudi Spiced Chicken and Rice with Raisins and Almonds)
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
Salted chicken browned, then cooked with spiced rice, tomato, carrot, bay, dried lime and orange zest until the rice is tender and the chicken reaches 74 °C. Topped with fried almonds, pine nuts and raisins and served with fresh tomato daqqus.
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Method
- 1
Season and brown. Pat the chicken dry and rub it with the salt, leaving it for 30 min if you have time so it seasons deeply. Heat the ghee in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the pieces skin side down in two batches for 5-7 min until well coloured, then set aside.
- 2
Build the spice base. Cook the onion in the chicken fat over medium heat for 5 min until lightly golden. Add the garlic, ginger, tomato paste and spices and stir for 1 min until very fragrant; frying ground spices briefly in fat brings out their aroma.
- 3
Add the rice. Stir in the tomatoes, carrot, bay, loomi and orange zest and cook for 4 min, scraping the base, until jammy. Add the rice and stir for 2 min, then pour in the water and add the salt.
- 4
Cook together. Nestle the chicken in skin side up and bring to the boil. Cover and cook on low for 25-28 min, until the rice is tender, a light crust has formed underneath and the chicken reaches 74 °C. Rest covered off the heat for 10 min.
- 5
Topping and daqqus. Meanwhile, fry the almonds in the oil for 1 min, add the pine nuts for 1 min more, then the raisins until they plump; tip into a bowl. Stir together the diced tomato, garlic, chilli, lemon juice and pinch of salt.
- 6
Serve. Fluff the rice onto a large platter, arrange the chicken on top and scatter over the nut and raisin mixture. Serve with the daqqus on the side.
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered with a splash of water until piping hot (74 °C). Keep the daqqus separately for up to 1 day. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- large Dutch oven with lid
- small frying pan
- small bowl
- instant-read thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1076 kcal |
| Protein | 47.6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 115.4 g |
| of which sugars | 18 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.1 g |
| Fat | 47.9 g |
| of which saturates | 12 g |
| Fibre | 9.4 g |
| Salt | 2.16 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
