Dajaj Salona or Chicken Salona recipe is an Emirati stew filled with seasonal vegetables flavoured with Bezar, a unique spice blend.
Back with MENA Cooking Club! This time the club explored UAE (United Arab Emirates) Cuisine and I chose to try Dejaj Saloona. UAE is one of the Middle Eastern countries with almost 80% of its population as expatriates. The same reason why their authentic cuisine is hard to differentiate as it is diluted with all the foreign influences. Even though UAE's mainstay is seafood; meat and vegetables are cooked more often and mostly in one-pot stews.
Jump to:
What is Chicken Salona?
Dajaj is Arabic for chicken and salona refers to vegetables in tomato stew. Dajaj Salona is an Emirati chicken stew made with a lot of seasonal vegetables flavoured with the Spice mix called Bezar. Here in Abu Dhabi, you will find Chicken saloona in most of the local cuisine restaurants and I must say, my version tastes almost the same - finger-licking-good!
F and I loved it so much with rice that we ended up drinking the leftovers off the plate the way I do with Rasam!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients to make this delicious chicken saloona:
- A whole chicken with or without skin
- Whole spices: cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, dried black lime, galangal root and black stone flower.
- Veggies: garlic clove, onion, ginger, green chillies, potatoes, carrots, beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, and coriander leaves
- Ground spices: bezar spice mix, cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, cardamom and chilli powder
- cooking oil
- tomato paste
See the recipe card below for details.
How to make Chicken Salona?
First, make a batch of my bezar spice mix before you start any prep. For the Chicken salona, we boil the chicken to get the broth to make the Salona, then we add the veggies and let it cook low and slow.
Now, my method is time-consuming for a good reason. Tastes better. The faster method is dumping all into a pot or pressure cooker and cooking until done. But making the stock first will give you a chance to remove the impurities or foam from the stock. Also, here you can include all the chicken pieces that you would not normally include in the actual dish. The bone is what renders the stock flavour so I highly recommend trying this method.
- Prepare the bezar spice mix
- Prepare the chicken stock
- Prep the veggies
- Prepare the chicken salona
Top Tip
Anytime you cook stew you should use chicken with the bones for that added flavour. So, add all those chicken pieces like the back bone, neck etc. which you normally don't use.
Related
Looking for other recipes using bezar or baharat spice mix? Try these:
📖 Recipe Card
Chicken Salona | Emirati Chicken and Vegetable Stew
Ingredients
For Chicken Stock
- 800 grams skinless whole chicken, cut into 8 to 12 pieces
- water as required
- 1 green cardamom
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 loomi, dried lime or black lime
- 1 piece galangal root, optional
- 1 black stone flower, shaiba leaves (optional)
- 1 garlic clove
For Dejaj Salona
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- ½ inch grated ginger
- 3 green chillies, slit
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky roundels
- 2 to 3 carrot, peeled and cut into chunky roundels
- 10 french beans
- 1 bell pepper, any colour
- 2 to 3 large tomatoes, cut into roundels
- 1 loomi, dried lime or black lime
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1½ teaspoon bezar spice mix
- salt to taste
- Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Instructions
Prepare Chicken Broth
- Take a deep pot, add water, chicken pieces, and the whole spices and bring it to a full boil.800 grams skinless whole chickenwater as required1 green cardamom1 cinnamon stick1 bay leaf1 loomi1 piece galangal root1 black stone flower1 garlic clove
- Skim out and discard the foam and impurities using a spoon. Reduce the flame to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken pieces and cooked.
- Remove the chicken pieces using tongs and keep them aside. Strain the broth and discard the whole spices.
Prepare Dejaj Salona
- Heat the oil in a curry pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, and sauté until golden with a dash of salt.3 tablespoons cooking oil1 large onion
- Stir in ginger, garlic and green chillies and sauté for a minute.3 garlic cloves½ inch grated ginger3 green chillies
- Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, and all the chopped veggies along with a loomi. Season with salt as you go.1 tablespoon tomato paste2 potatoes2 to 3 carrot10 french beans1 bell pepper2 to 3 large tomatoes1 loomi
- Cover and cook for 5 to 8 mins stirring occasionally until tomatoes are cooked down.
- Add the boiled chicken pieces and all the spice powders including bezar.¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder¼ teaspoon turmeric powder¼ teaspoon coriander powder¼ teaspoon cardamom powder1 teaspoon red chilli powder1½ teaspoon bezar spice mix
- Pour the strained broth and add more water if required. Taste and adjust the salt.salt to taste
- Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through. Stir in fresh coriander leaves.
Serve saloona
- Serve chicken salona warm with a sprinkle of freshly chopped coriander leaves. Serve with white rice or Emirati bread, ragag.Fresh coriander leaves
Famidha Ashraf says
When making broths or stocks for stews like this chicken saloona, skimming off the foam from the surface is crucial for a clear and flavorful stew. While I've experimented with a one-pot, one-step method in the Instant Pot, I haven't been satisfied with the results. I'll stick with this traditional recipe until I discover a simpler yet equally delicious alternative. I hope you make a big batch for this Ramadan and have a hearty meal.