Chicken Kabsa

Delicious and surprisingly easy Chicken Kabsa! I love making tasty Arabic food recipes at home and chicken kabsa is definitely a new favorite!

This kabsa chicken recipe is so easy to make and is big on flavor. I made my simple kabsa recipe with an overnight marinade, a flavorful broth, and basmati rice. If you love Arabic food as much as we do, be sure to try this easy chicken kabsa recipe!

There are so many variations of kabsa including Saudi kabsa, and many others. I learn a lot of my recipes from my Jordanian mother in law, so this is a Jordanian kabsa recipe.

Do you love Arabic food and want to learn how to make delicious authentic Arabic recipes at home? Make sure to read my complete guide on Cooking Arabic Food at Home!

WHAT IS CHICKEN KABSA MADE OF?

Chicken kabsa rice is made with a flavorful chicken tomato broth. That spiced broth is then strained and used to cook the kabsa rice in. While the kabsa rice is cooking, the chicken is broiled in the oven for a nice crispy top.

Chicken kabsa is served on a large serving platter with the base of kabsa rice, the crispy chicken, and topped with nuts like pine nuts or almonds and fresh chopped parsley.

WHAT DOES KABSA TASTE LIKE?

Kabsa is made of bone in chicken that is cooked in a spicy broth of tomatoes and a lot of delicious Arabic spices. The chicken is removed and either broiled, fried, or grilled while the flavorful broth is used to cook the rice. The result is an incredible mouth-watering aromatic dish which has a slight citrus tang and umami flavor.

WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT KABSA?

Kabsa is the national dish of Saudi Arabia. This delicious rice and meat dish is made with a lot of spices to give a very delicious fluffy rice. It is usually enjoyed as a group lunch or dinner together.

There are many variations on kabsa including the type of meat, the spices used, even different vegetables mixed into the broth like carrots and diced tomatoes.

CHICKEN KABSA INGREDIENTS

• 6-8 chicken legs (bone in and skin on)
• 6-8 chicken thighs (bone in and skin on)
• 2 fresh lemons
• ½ cup yogurt
• 1 tablespoon ground kabsa spice
• 2 tablespoons ghee
• 3 large yellow onions
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 ½ cinnamon stick
• 2 dried limes
• 1 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoon cardamom pods
• ½ tablespoon whole cloves
• 2 teaspoon ground kabsa spice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 8-9 cups water
• 2 cups tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 cups rice
• 1 teaspoon kabsa spice
• Pine nuts
• Fresh parsley

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN KABSA AT HOME

This simple chicken kabsa recipe is going to be your new favorite recipe! Despite what most people say, chicken kabsa is actually quite easy to make.

STEP 1: MARINATE THE KABSA OVERNIGHT

Marinating meat for all of my Arabic recipes has been a game changer for the flavor of my meals! If you have the time, definitely marinate your chicken overnight. If you are low on time, marinate the chicken in the morning and cook chicken kabsa in the evening.

Add the washed chicken to a large bowl along with the marinade ingredients:

• 6-8 chicken legs (bone in and skin on)
• 6-8 chicken thighs (bone in and skin on)
• 2 fresh lemons
• ½ cup yogurt
• 1 tablespoon ground kabsa spice

Massage the yogurt and spices into the chicken so each piece of chicken is completely covered with the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours up to 2 days. The longer you marinate the chicken for the more flavorful it will be.

STEP 2: MAKE THE CHICKEN BROTH

In a large pan, melt 2 tablespoons ghee over medium heat. Add all 3 of the diced yellow onions and sauté until the onions are soft and just starting to caramelize.

Add the kabsa spices to the onions:

• 4 bay leaves
• 1 ½ cinnamon stick
• 2 dried limes
• 1 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoon cardamom pods
• ½ tablespoon whole cloves
• 2 teaspoon ground kabsa spice
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.

Next add the marinated chickens (discarding the lemon peels) and stir to coat the chicken in the spices and onions.

Cover the chicken with 8-9 cups of water and bring to a boil. Scrape off any white foam from the top and discard as the chicken cooks. Boil for about 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium low, and add 2 cups of tomato puree and 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook another 15 minutes.

STEP 3: COOK THE KABSA RICE AND BROIL THE CHICKEN

Remove the chicken from the broth and place on a baking sheet. Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing out all the liquid into the bowl so that all you are left with is the onion fiber and whole spices. Discard the whole spices and onions.

In the same pan, add the rice along with 1 teaspoon ground kabsa spice blend. Toast for about 1 minute over medium heat until it is fragrant. Pour the strained broth over top of the rice. Bring the rice to a boil, once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover.

Cook until the rice has absorbed all of the broth.

While the rice cooks, broil the chicken in the oven in the last 10 minutes to crisp the tops of the chicken.

STEP 4: SERVE KABSA

In a small pan over medium heat, toast the pine nuts in ghee or olive oil, stirring constantly until they are golden brown. Be careful because pine nuts go from brown to burned quickly.

HOW TO SERVE CHICKEN KABSA

Serve the cooked rice on a large serving platter topped with the chicken, toasted pine nuts, and fresh chopped parsley.

Hope you enjoy!

More Authentic Arabic & Middle Eastern Recipes (in English) you can make at home!

• Ouzi Chicken
• Ouzi Lamb
• Maqluba with Chicken or Lamb
• Galayet Bandora
• Dwali (Grape Leaves)
• Musakhan
• Galayet Bandora
• Shorbat Adas
• Sfiha
• Arabic Yellow Rice
• The Best Fluffy Hummus
• Arabic Chopped Salad
• Fasolia with Lebanese Rice
• Saniya Jaj
• Jaj Mahshi (Stuffed Chicken)
• Persian Pomegranate Chicken

No Arabic meal is complete without Arabic tea, make sure to try out my Authentic Jordanian Bedouin Tea Recipe!

FAQ's

Frequently asked questions about my chicken kabsa rice recipe.

How do you eat kabsa?

Serve kabsa with a delicious Arabic Chopped Salad. Some people also like to serve with fresh pita or flat bread.

How to make kabsa rice without chicken?

If you want to make yours without chicken and with lamb instead, simply replace the chicken for lamb. When you are cooking the broth, lamb might take longer to cook. So keep cooking the lamb in the broth until lamb is a buttery falling off the bone texture.

No need to broil the lamb just set it aside, covered in your oven warmer until the rice is done.

What is the difference between biryani and kabsa?

Chicken kabsa, not to be confused with another rice dish called Chicken Biryani, is an Arabic chicken and rice dish that is famous in Saudi Arabia. Kabsa does not use saffron and garam masala in its spices like biryani does.

If you try my Chicken Kabsa Recipe, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube!