19/06/2026
Last night I revisited my
CHICKEN WITH SAFFRON RICE (ARABIAN MACHBOOS)
which was absolutely delicious!
Here's the recipe:
800g chicken pieces, skin removed (I used thighs)
1 tbsp Spice Fusion Arabian Biz’har
1 tbsp crushed garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup Basmati rice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 brown onions, finely sliced
3 medium tomatoes, finely diced
1½ cups chicken stock
1 small cinnamon stick
6 bruised cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
½ tsp saffron dissolved in 2 tbsp boiling water
Toasted slivered almonds and coriander leaves to garnish
Place chicken pieces into a glass bowl. Add Arabian Biz’har, garlic and lime juice and massage well into meat. Set aside.
Wash and drain rice several times until water is clear then soak in a bowl covered with fresh water.
Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan, preferably non-stick, and fry onions until golden brown and caramelised, 15-20 minutes; remove and set aside.
If necessary, add more oil to the pan and fry chicken pieces until browned all over.
Add tomatoes, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaf, half of the reserved onions and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well before adding chicken stock, then cover with a lid and gently simmer for 30 minutes. Drain rice and carefully sprinkle over the chicken, but do not stir.
Place a sheet of foil tightly over saucepan, then put lid back on and simmer for 15 minutes.
Turn off heat and pour saffron water over the rice. Do not stir. Put lid on again and let stand for 15 minutes. Serve with a garnish of almonds, coriander leaves and reserved caramelised onion.
You can find the recipe at
https://spicefusion.com.au/recipes/arabian-chicken-rice-machboos/
and buy the Arabian Spice at
https://spicefusion.com.au/shop/arabian-bizhar/
Try my other Middle Eastern favourites are:
Persian Advieh
Turkish Baharat
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