🍗 Bahraini chicken machboos

Name: Bahraini chicken machboos
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Bahrain
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken pieces; 400 g basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes; 2 onions, sliced; 2 tomatoes, chopped; 2 dried limes (loomi), pierced; 2 tsp baharat and ½ tsp turmeric; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 tbsp vegetable oil, salt; 1 tbsp rosewater; Chopped coriander to serve

Origin: Bahrain

708kcal

per serving · 400 g

177kcal

per 100 g

44 gProtein11 g / 100 g

20 gFat5 g / 100 g

88 gCarbs22 g / 100 g

Bahraini chicken machboos is rice cooked in a rich chicken broth with tomato, onion, baharat and dried lime, finished with a splash of rosewater that gives it a gentle floral aroma. The rice is fluffy and fragrant, the chicken tender and lightly browned. It is served on a shared platter with daqoos, a spicy tomato sauce, and fresh salad.

Diets

✓

No porkfor halal, the meat must be halal-slaughtered

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

High protein11 g protein per 100 g — 25% of the calories

Not vegetarianbecause of: chicken

Not veganbecause of: chicken

Not keto22 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.

What it is made of

ricechickendried black limerose waterbaharat spice mixoniontomato

Recipe

4 servings80 min

Ingredients

1 kg chicken pieces
400 g basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes
2 onions, sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 dried limes (loomi), pierced
2 tsp baharat and ½ tsp turmeric
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp vegetable oil, salt
1 tbsp rosewater
Chopped coriander to serve

Method

Fry the onions in the oil until golden, then add the garlic and the chicken and brown on all sides.
Add the tomatoes, loomi, baharat, turmeric, salt and enough water to cover; simmer covered for 40 minutes until tender.
Lift out the chicken and measure about 750 ml of the broth back into the pot.
Add the drained rice, bring to the boil, then cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the rosewater before resting.
Brown the chicken briefly in a hot oven or pan, then serve it on top of the rice with coriander.

How to make it lighter

Keep the rice to about one cup cooked per plate and add extra salad or daqoos.
Remove the chicken skin and measure the oil: 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
Choose a larger share of chicken and a smaller share of rice for a more filling plate.

History

Machboos is widely regarded as Bahrain's national dish and is a close relative of Saudi kabsa. Bahraini cooks season it with spices and dried lime, often with a touch of rosewater, and it is a staple of family lunches.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →