Chicken Majboos
Majboos is a traditional Qatari dish, and after spending so many years in Qatar, you could say I take pride in it just as much as I take pride in the cake recipes I inherited from my mother.
Ingredients · Servings 6
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 cups basmati rice ((long-grain))
- 2 large onions
- 1 large carrot (cut in four)
- 3-4 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1 small chili finely chopped
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 4-6 cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 whole dried lumi ((black lemon))
- 3-4 whole cloves
- 2 teaspoons majboos spice mix
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2-4 teaspoons salt ((plus m ore to taste))
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley or coriander
- handful of toasted almonds or pine seeds
Method · 1 h 20 min
- Prepare the chicken:Start by preparing the chicken using a sharp knife, cut through the joints to separate the whole legs (thigh and drumstick), breast (cut in half), backbone, and wings.
- If this feels challenging, ask your butcher to do it for you or use pre-cut chicken pieces.
- Make the broth:Place the backbone and wings in a pressure cooker with one onion cut in half, the carrot, 3 cardamom pods, 1 bay leaf, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add about 6 cups of water.
- Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes.If you don’t have a pressure cooker you could use a regular pot, changing just the cooking time from 20 mins to about 1 hour. Strain the broth and set it aside.
- Season the chicken:To prepare the remaining chicken pieces, rub the legs and breast with olive oil, the majboos spice mix, salt, and pepper.
- Build the base:In a large pot, heat the ghee over medium heat. Sauté the chopped onions, garlic, and chilli until soft and fragrant.
- Add the ground spices (turmeric, cumin, and paprika) and stir to coat the onions.
- Brown the chicken:Add the chicken pieces and fry until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- Simmer:Add the chopped tomatoes, remaining cardamom pods, lumi, bay leaf, and cloves. Pour in about 2 cups (475 ml) of the reserved chicken broth, or enough to just cover the chicken. Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Then take out the chicken pieces and set them aside on a baking tray, covering loosely with aluminium foil to keep warm.
- Cook the rice:Meanwhile wash the rice and let sit in hot water for about 10 minutes. Drain and add it to the pot.
- Pour in about 2½ cups (590 ml) of broth and add 1–2 teaspoons of salt. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Should you need more liquid during the cooking process, make a small well in the center of the pot and add broth one ladle at a time until the rice is perfectly cooked.
- Serve:Fluff the rice and top it with the chicken legs and breast, parsley or coriander and toasted nuts.
- Enjoy!
This is our family’s way of making chicken majboos: fragrant, comforting, and deeply rooted in tradition.
- 2 teaspoons majboos spice mix (If unavailable, use a baharat-style spice mix with black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, and cardamom)
