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Home Β» Recipes Β» Chicken and Rice

Bahraini Chicken Machboos

Modified: Aug 15, 2023 Β· Published: Apr 13, 2020 by Famidha Ashraf Β· 3 Comments

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Bahraini chicken machboos is an Arabic meat and rice dish cooked in a spiced broth with tomatoes and topped with roasted chicken and nuts.

a plate of rice topped with a roasted chicken leg and some yoghurt dip in the side.

I didn't know about machboos until my mother-in-law asked me if I had prepared machboos rubyan for her son. 🀐 Rubyan is Arabic for prawns and the only seafood F consumes but I rarely buy them. After I moved to Abu Dhabi, I decided to try making his family's favourite machboos with chicken.

Jump to:
  • What is the difference between Kabsa and Majboos?
  • How to make Bahraini chicken machboos?
  • πŸ“– Recipe Card
  • πŸ’¬ Comments

A quick search on the net got me to Um Safia's page on Food. com (which is no longer the same now) and made her Traditional Bahraini Chicken Macbhoos. It was the first time I tried machboos and F loved it but he also mentioned it tastes different from his mom's. I made it a few times by now and shared it on Stories - it was a hit among you all! Thank you! 

But recently, I asked my mil (umma) for the recipe her sons grew up having while in Bahrain. For a time like this lockdown due to covid19, a whiff of nostalgia is a hug in the tummy. I must say her recipe is almost the same except that she doesn't use any spice blend!

What is the difference between Kabsa and Majboos?

KabsaΒ 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".

So the difference between Kabsa and Majboos is in the type of spice blend used and the addition of almonds and raisins. You all must be aware of Kabsah spice mix, and Baharat spice mix, as they are available in every supermarket here. But I have not seen Bezar spice mix being sold! πŸ€”

In the pic below, I did add some fried almonds because I had them but it does not usually feature in Bahrain Machboos.Β 

How to make Bahraini chicken machboos?

Chicken Machboos is the national dish of Bahrain which means it is a favourite of the entire country! Once you make this chicken machboos recipe you will give our biryanis a rest. Trust me! This Arabic chicken dish is so easy to put together for a Friday lunch that your legs will thank you and you can have quality time with family. I have to say the same for myΒ Kacchi Biryani recipe tooΒ πŸ˜‹ But I highly recommend not to skip Loomi, the black dried lime! It imparts a flavour that is hard to substitute.

Here is the step by step recipe for Chicken Machboos

marinated chicken pieces

Marinate the chicken with all the spice powders and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.  bezar spice mix or Baharat, turmeric powder, cumin powder, cardamom powder and cinnamon powder.

soaked rice

Wash and soak the rice for 30 mins or as per packet instruction.

sauteing whole spices and  chopped onions

Heat butter or ghee in a deep wide pot on medium flame. Add the cloves, the finely diced onion, green chillies, and dried lime and saute for a minute. Next, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute.

Add the marinated chicken along with the chopped tomato. Cook on high until all of the chicken pieces turn white. (~5mins) Meanwhile, prepare hot water.

Pour the hot water and salt to taste. Bring this to a boil. Cover and cook on medium flame until the chicken is cooked through. (~10mins)

Remove the cooked chicken pieces and keep them aside.

Add a fistful of chopped coriander leaves and lime/lemon juice.

Dump the soaked rice and salt to taste.

Bring this to boil on a high flame until you can see the grains on the surface. Reduce the flame to the lowest. Slide a heat diffuser or flat pan underneath. Cover the pot with foil and then the lid. Let it cook for another 15 mins.

Meanwhile, roast the cooked chicken on the stovetop or oven with some oil and butter.

You may place back the roasted chicken on top of the rice and serve or transfer the rice to a platter and place the roasted chicken over it. Serve with salad and laban or yoghurt.

πŸ“– Recipe Card

a plate of Bahraini Chicken Machboos

Bahraini Chicken Machboos

An Arabic meat and rice dish cooked in a spiced broth with tomatoes and topped with roasted chicken and nuts.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 632.25kcal
Author: Famidha Ashraf
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Ingredients
 

For the chicken

  • 3 chicken whole legs, or one 700gms chicken
  • 1 teaspoon Bezar spice mix, or Baharat spice mix
  • Β½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ΒΌ teaspoon cumin powder
  • ΒΌ teaspoon cardamom powder
  • Β½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

For Chicken Machboos

  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 medium-sized red onion
  • 2 to 5 green chillies
  • 1 loomi, dried black lime
  • 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
  • 1 large tomato, chopped roughly
  • salt to taste
  • 2 cups hot water
  • fresh coriander leaves
  • juice of half a lime
  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • butter , to roast the cooked chicken

Instructions

  • Marinate the chicken with all the spice powders (bezar, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and cardamom) and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
    3 chicken whole legs
    1 teaspoon Bezar spice mix
    Β½ teaspoon turmeric powder
    ΒΌ teaspoon cumin powder
    ΒΌ teaspoon cardamom powder
    Β½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • Wash and soak the rice for 30 minutes or as per packet instruction.
    1 cup basmati rice
  • Heat ghee in a deep wide pot on medium flame.
    1 tablespoon ghee
  • Add the cloves, the finely diced onion, green chillies, dried lime and saute for a minute.
    3 cloves
    1 medium-sized red onion
    2 to 5 green chillies
    1 loomi
  • Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute.
    2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
  • Add the marinated chicken along with the chopped tomato. Cook on high until all of the chicken pieces turn white. (~5mins) Meanwhile, prepare hot water.
    1 large tomato
  • Add the hot water and salt to taste. Bring this to a boil.
    2 cups hot water
    salt to taste
  • Cover and cook on medium flame until the chicken is cooked through. (~10mins)
  • Remove the cooked chicken pieces and keep them aside.
  • Add a fistful of chopped coriander leaves and lime or lemon juice.
    fresh coriander leaves
    juice of half a lime
  • Stir in the soaked rice and salt to taste. Bring this to boil on a high flame until you can see the grains on the surface.
    1 cup basmati rice
  • Reduce the flame to the lowest. Slide a heat diffuser or flat pan underneath, cover the pot with foil and then the lid. Let it cook for another 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Switch off and open to carefully stir the bottom rice to the top and cover again. Let it sit for another 5 to 8 minutes before you can serve.
  • Meanwhile, roast the cooked chicken on the stovetop or oven with some butter. You may place back the roasted chicken on top of the rice and serve or transfer the rice to a platter and place the roasted chicken over it.
    butter
  • Serve with salad and laban or yoghurt (some pappadams won't hurt :-))

Notes

Have a question or looking for more tips? Please refer to the content above the recipe card. It often contains valuable explanations, tips, and ideas to enhance your cooking experience.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 632.25kcal | Carbohydrates: 52.4g | Protein: 33.95g | Fat: 30.96g
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: arabic, middle eastern
Tried this recipe?Please consider Leaving a Review!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Farah says

    June 12, 2023 at 11:16 pm

    5 stars
    Tried this recipe
    Easy, quick and flavourful everyone loved it 😊

    Reply
  2. Famidha Ashraf says

    July 12, 2021 at 5:57 am

    Hi Jill, I have used sumac in the pics here. You may just use salt and fresh parsley. Another variation would be grated garlic and salt. Happy cooking!

    Reply
  3. Jill says

    July 12, 2021 at 5:54 am

    Hello! I am trying out your recipe next week. Can you tell me what spice you put in the yogurt to accompany this dish?

    Reply
5 from 1 vote

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Mr.F and Famidha

Hey, I'm Famidha

An Indian chai lover in the UAE. As a passionate food blogger, I share a diverse collection of recipes spanning the Middle East and South Asia. With each dish, I aim to spark your culinary curiosity and encourage you to try new flavours and cooking methods.

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