Kuwaiti Chicken Machboos (spiced rice with chicken)

Recipe No.: G-26

Gulf90 minServes 6

Chicken machboos is lighter than the lamb version and quicker, so it is the Kuwaiti family's everyday dish. It is flavoured with loomi and bzar, perfumed with rose water and saffron, and served with daqoos.

Ingredients for Kuwaiti Chicken Machboos

• For the chicken and broth
• 1chicken (1.4 kg), cut into 8 pieces
• 2onions, thinly sliced, 5 cloves garlic and a piece of ginger, grated
• 3tomatoes, chopped, and 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ¼ cupghee or oil
• 1½ tbspbzar spice mix (cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, cardamom, clove, cinnamon)
• 3dried black limes (loomi), pierced, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 cardamom pods and 2 bay leaves
• 1hot green chili (optional) and salt
• For the rice
• 3 cupsbasmati rice, soaked 30 minutes and drained
• 4½ cupsof the strained broth
• A pinch ofsaffron steeped in 2 tbsp rose water and a little hot water
• To serve
• Daqoos (tomato, garlic, coriander and chili) and lemon

Method

1. Heat the ghee in a large pot, brown the onions until deep golden, then add the garlic, ginger and spices for 30 seconds.
2. Add the chicken and turn 5 minutes, then the tomatoes, paste, loomi, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves and salt, and add 1.5 litres boiling water.
3. Simmer 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked, then lift out and brown 10 minutes in a 220°C oven.
4. Strain the broth, measure 4½ cups and return it to the pot, bring to a boil and adjust the salt.
5. Add the drained rice and boil uncovered for 5 minutes until the liquid drops below the surface.
6. Sprinkle the saffron and rose water, cover tightly (with a cloth under the lid), cook on low for 20 minutes, then rest 10 minutes.
7. Fluff the rice and serve topped with the meat or chicken, with daqoos and lemon.

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