When it comes to food, I’m always on the hunt for new inspirations and ideas. I think the ideal way to learn more about food is by exploring new cuisines and cultures. The world of culinary adventure is open right in front of you. You just need to wear your apron and get started. My inspiration for this recipe comes from one of our trips to Dubai a few years ago. A magnificent modern city that’ll mesmerize you with its ultra modern architecture. Not to mention the classic Emirati cuisine. Just phenomenal. And the best part? A wonderful day spent with good old friends. I returned back with a big smile and wonderful memories for a lifetime. Truth to be told, I’m a memory keeper. Ok, back to the chicken kabsa recipe. This is basically a classic recipe from Saudi Arabia. But, you can find different variations of this dish in the neighbouring countries too. Chicken and rice are cooked in a beautiful spice mix making this one of the best one pot rice recipes ready to entertain you and your friends on any special occasion. To be exact, this kabsa recipe is by far one of my all-time favorite rice recipes.
I used basmati rice in this recipe as it adds a whole new level of flavor to this dish. Of course, you can use any kind of long grain rice, but basmati is my favorite. For this chicken kabsa recipe, you’ll need large pieces of chicken. I cut a large chicken into 6 pieces. We’ll be cooking chicken in two stages. First in the pan and then on the grill. And that’s the secret of the unbeatable taste of this dish. There’s one important element that makes both the chicken and rice so delicious. Kabsa spice. You can either buy it from Middle Eastern grocery stores, or make your own homemade version. This spice mix is basically a blend of ground cardamom, ground white pepper, saffron, ground cinnamon, ground all spice and dried whole lime powder. Alright, now to the cooking process. Start out by frying onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies until the onions turn golden brown. We’ll add a few whole dried spices to this mixture including bay leaves, cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Lightly fry them in oil. Tomatoes are added in two different forms in this chicken kabsa recipe. One, tomato purée. Two, canned diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes. Apart from the kabsa spice mix, you’ll also need ground nutmeg, ground black pepper, ground cumin and ground coriander. Brown chicken in the spices, take them out of the pan, and then grill them separately. This will give the chicken pieces a nice crispy outer layer. When cooking rice, make sure you don’t add too much water to prevent it from turning mushy. And there you go. Done. A scrumptious meal for your next gathering. Why not give it a go? BEST BIRYANI RECIPES
Easy Chicken Biryani Butter Chicken Biryani Lamb Biryani Keema Biryani Beef Biryani
Chicken Tikka Biryani Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani Veg Dum Biryani Egg Biryani One pot Chicken and Rice One pot Chicken Pulao Carrot Cucumber Raita Grapes Apple Mint Raita Pomegranate Raita
- For rice, start with 3 cups of water, and then add more if needed.- Whole lime powder is available in Middle Eastern grocery stores- Kabsa spice mix recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
