The national dish of Bahrain, this Chicken Machboos recipe is thoroughly authentic and thoroughly delicious! Seasoned rice and tender moist chicken come together in this satisfying meal that is an absolute feast for the taste buds!
Chicken Machboos, or Machboos ala Dajaj (“spiced chicken and rice”), is the national dish of Bahrain, a small island country in the Persian Gulf neighbored by Saudi Arabia and Iran. Machboos is similar to Biryani (from the Indian subcontinent) and Kabsa (from Saudi Arabia), all with varying cooking methods, ingredients, degree of spiciness, and assembly. But all three are essentially meat and rice dishes.
I developed this recipe by way of request from Jay and Kelly. They posted a challenge for me on The Daring Gourmet’s facebook fan page. Having toured the Middle East during their time in the Navy, they had come to love its variety of foods. They especially loved the Machboos from Bahrain. Disappointed in the recipes they’ve found and tried online, they challenged me to develop an authentic Bahraini Machboos. Jay and Kelly, while I can’t promise you that this tastes just like the particular Machboos you had in Bahrain, I can guarantee that it’s both authentic and delicious.
I even flew back to the Middle East to pick up the spices for this dish. Just kidding. But I was there a few years ago and could have spent HOURS in the spice stalls of the Arab markets. This vendor had a terrific selection.
And oh, how I miss that perfect sun-kissed skin! Mine, not the spice vendor’s. I don’t miss him – or his skin, rather. But he was a very nice man and he let me take his picture.
There are two ingredients in particular that set this dish apart from any Western chicken and rice dishes. Baharat and Loomi.
Baharat, Arabic for “spice”, is a popular spice blend found in Arab cuisine. Ingredients can vary, but it typically includes black pepper, paprika, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg. An intensely flavorful spice blend, Baharat can liven up any dish. It is commonly used as a rub for lamb, chicken, beef and fish and can be combined with olive oil and lemon juice for a delicious marinade. It is also used in soups and sauces.
Another Daring Gourmet recipe using this wonderful spice blend is Egyptian Koshari.
Loomi is another ingredient that is a must if you wish to achieve an authentic flavor in your Middle Eastern cooking. Loomi are limes, often from Oman, that have been boiled and then left to dry in the sun. Their color can range from tan to black. The concentrated lime flavor is intensely tangy and earthy with an almost smoky quality. Loomi are sold under a variety of names including black limes, black lemons (though not lemons at all), and of course dried limes. They can be purchased either whole or in powdered form. Whole is better as the powder oxidizes quickly and much of the flavor can be lost. As with spices, it is better to keep them stored whole and then grind as needed. Dried limes can be found in stores carrying Middle Eastern products or can be ordered online. They are also delicious stuffed into the cavity of a chicken before roasting or added to boiling rice for added flavor. You can purchase them online HERE.
Another ingredient that I have added to this dish and that is commonly found in Middle Eastern cuisine is rosewater. I included it as an optional ingredient to be sprinkled over the finished dish just before eating, but I highly recommend it as it will add a whole exotic flavor dimension to the Machboos. The sweet accents of the rosewater gracefully complement the earthy spices and tangy limes. You can find rose water online HERE.
Once you have gathered up the ingredients necessary for this dish, it is quite easy and straightforward to make. A one pot dish, you’ll have little cleanup to do and most of the time involved in making the process is simply cooking time. The end result is worth whatever effort you went through to get the needed ingredients. And it’s a great dish for the whole family. While packed with flavor, it’s not spicy-hot. Even our toddler ate two pieces of the chicken and then requested rice.
Chicken Machboos Recipe
Let’s get started!
Separate the whole spices and the powdered spices.
Dry roast the whole spices in a small pan over medium-high heat, tossing frequently to prevent scorching, until very fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
Allow the spices to cool and then transfer them to a spice or coffee grinder along with the powdered spices and grind them to a fine powder.
Set the baharat aside.
Either cut up a whole chicken or use chicken pieces.
Heat some oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven (I use and love Lodge) and fry the chicken on both sides until browned and crispy.
Set the chicken aside.
Add the ghee or butter to the oil already in the Dutch oven and saute the onions over medium heat until caramelized and beginning to brown.
Add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno to the onions and saute for another two minutes.
Add the baharat and turmeric and stir to combine.
Return the chicken to the Dutch oven.
Prepare the dried limes. It’s important to punch a few holes in the limes with a skewer, knife or the tines of fork before adding it to the dish, otherwise the juices won’t effectively penetrate the hardened skin. The holes will allow the cooking juices to infuse with the flavorful interior of the limes.
Add the dried limes, tomatoes, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and ground cloves. Add the chicken stock. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for one hour.
After simmering for an hour, discard the cinnamon stick and dried limes. You can leave the cardamom pods in, but I prefer not to be surprised with a whole cardamom pod in my mouth.
Soak the basmati rice in water for at least 15 minutes.
Rinse and drain the rice. This process is said to create a fluffier rice texture for the finished dish, but it also lessens the cooking time of the rice and thus preserves its flavor which can diminish through longer cooking periods.
Add the rice and stir to combine. Return the mixture to a boil, reduce to low, cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
Transfer the rice and chicken to a serving platter and serve immediately. You can leave the chicken mixed in with the rice or place the chicken on top of the rice. For an added authentic Middle Eastern touch, sprinkle some rosewater over the finished dish just before serving.
And there you have it – a lovely, authentic and delicious plate of Bahraini Chicken Machboos.
Enjoy!
- 2 large onions, diced
- 3 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon baharat (see recipe below)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons oil
- A combination of chicken thighs, legs and breasts (about 3 pounds)
- 1 hot green chili pepper (e.g., jalapeno), seeded and diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 5 large cloves or garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 large roma tomatoes, diced (or 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, juices drained)
- 2-3 dried limes (loomi), several holes punched throughout each one
- 5 green cardamom pods
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 stick cinnamon (about 2 inches long)
- 2½ teaspoons salt
- 2½ cups chicken stock
- 2 cups basmati rice (soaked for at least 15 minutes, then rinsed and drained)
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Rosewater for sprinkling (optional, but recommended)
- For the Homemade Baharat:
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick (about 2 inches long)
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- ¼ teaspoon green cardamom seeds
- 1 tablespoon paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- For the Baharat:
- Set the paprika and nutmeg powders aside. Place all remaining ingredients (whole seeds, cinnamon stick and cloves) in a small frying pan and dry roast over medium-high heat, tossing regularly to prevent scorching, for 3-4 minutes or until very fragrant. Transfer to a spice or coffee grinder and let cool. Add the paprika and nutmeg and grind all the ingredients to a fine powder. Store left over baharat in an airtight jar.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and fry the chicken pieces on both sides until the skin is brown and crispy. Transfer the chicken to a plate and leave the remaining oil in the Dutch oven.
- Add the ghee (or butter), reduce the heat to medium, and fry the onions until starting to brown, about 10-12 minutes.
- Add the ginger, garlic, and green chile pepper and saute for another 2 minutes.
- Add the baharat and turmeric and cook for another minute.
- Return the chicken pieces to the Dutch oven along with the tomatoes, dried limes, cardamom pods, cinnamon, ground cloves and salt. Add the chicken stock and stir to combine. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for one hour.
- Add the cilantro, parsley and drained rice and stir to combine. Return it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the rice is done and has absorbed the liquid.
- Transfer the chicken and rice to a serving dish (either leave the chicken pieces tossed in with the rice, or place the chicken on top of the rice), and sprinkling with 1-2 tablespoons of rosewater (optional).
- Serve with a green salad and yogurt raita.
Karen says
Our family has been working on cooking food from one country for each letter of the alphabet — tonight, I used your machboos recipe for our Qatar night. All four of us (including the picky 11 year old and the 14 year old) agreed that it was absolutely amazing! (“Amazing” is actually an understatement — I might be dreaming about this meal tonight.) I used a pre-made baharat spice mix from World Market (USA) instead of making my own to save a bit of time and effort. We served it with raita and the hashwa from Abdulla’s comment above. It made so much food — we ate until we were stuffed, and are looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Lol, Karen! :) I’m absolutely thrilled your family enjoyed this and what a fun culinary adventure you’re on, I love it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback. Here’s wishing you tasty dreams tonight and yummy leftovers tomorrow! :)
Solange M. says
Hello Kimberly! I made the recipe yesterday and everyone loved it. No Chili peppers (it would be too hot for French kids ;-) ) and a pinch of cinnamon as one of my sons don’t like cinnamon. I cooked rice aside and had a lot of sauce left to eat it with bread in the end !
I put 1 black lemon and 2 yellow ones (dried). We opened and tasted the yellow ones : it was wonderful. I had put the black one in pieces.
Thanks a lot for this great recipe!!! I will do it again for sure !
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Bonjour Solange! That’s wonderful, I’m so glad your family enjoyed the machboos, thank you! My taste buds don’t do well with a lot of heat either, so I usually omit the chili peppers as well. By the way, our family will be in France this Spring touring Brittany (and a trip to Paris) and I can’t wait to eat lots and lots of good food :)
Anonymous says
For sure you will enjoy!!!! So many good things to eat around here too! Try different kinds of bread and cakes / « viennoiseries » for breakfast! In Brittany try to find good spots for « crepes » (sweet or salted). I have a recipe of “far Breton” (it’s flan with prunes) …. I hope you will have a good time in France!!! What are your plans?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you! We’ll be spending a few days in Belgium and the Netherlands and then head west, visiting some places in northeastern France on our way to Normandy. In Normandy we’ll be visiting the WWII memorial sites, Mont-Saint-Michel, and then touring Brittany for a few days, visiting several of its famous cities before heading to Paris (and then heading to our final destination, England). We’re still working on our itinerary for Brittany so if you have any insider suggestions of “must sees and dos” we welcome them!
Anthony Horwood says
Thank you. That’s a nice recipe. I will print it out and try it soon.
I lived in Bahrain a few times for about 6 years all together, and loved machboos. There was a place in Adliya that did a takeaway and you could get either chicken of fish versions. I preferred the chicken, my wife the fish. It was made with chunks of hammour (grouper) so they stayed intact through cooking.
I was given some loomi a few years ago, by a colleague who visited Bahrain on business. I had mentioned machboos to her, and she remembered. I made a fishboos (Heh!) using cod, and it was excellent, though I stirred it too much and broke up the fish a bit. Next time I am using monkfish.
Qhueenhor Mohamad says
I want to try to cook this….but im so much feeling down…im scared …this is not my first time to cook but not the same in other countrt…
Ryan says
Watched bizare foods in Dubai and this dish was featured. Had almost everything to make it so ran out and got the missing ingredients. It is amazing. One of the best things I have ever eaten and i made it which is even cooler. My incredibly picky 6 year old even gave it a thumbs up. Thank you for posting. Will be sharing this one.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Ryan, I’m so happy to hear that, especially that your 6 year old loved it! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Claudia shajaie says
Hi there!
Planning on making this for iftar on tuesday for a group of us – at the risk of sounding silly, if I want to double the recipe would it be safe to assume I can just double up on all the ingredients?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Claudia, yes that’s right, simply double everything and cooking time remains the same.
Claudia shajaie says
Faaaaab can’t wait! Thank you!!
Nathan Lombough says
This was fantastic! The flavors were absolutely incredible and everyone raved about it, thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you liked it, Nathan, thank you!
Bessie says
Thank you Kimberly. This week I have 2 of your recipes on the menu. Can’t wait :-)
Bessie says
Hi Kimberley, thank you for this recipe. I made it yesterday and we enjoyed it very much! Like Sandy wrote in her comment, we also made it because of the Formula1 in Bahrein.
Here in Holland it’s hard to get loomi, so I used lime zest instead. Probably it’s not the best substitute, but I had to use something :-).
I really love the fact that you write the recipe down step by step with pictures. This gave me conformation along the way that I was on the right track :-).
I saw a lot of other delicious recipes on your website and I am looking forward to make some soon.
Enjoy your day and keep up the good (and delicious) work!
Kind regards,
Bessie
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Bessie, I’m so glad you found this helpful and I hope you enjoy the other recipes you try! Best, Kimberly
Craig says
Hi. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I am cooking it now for the second time. Even though I am new to cooking your excellent instructions helped m create a great dish for my friends who were moving to Bahrain. I tried to rate this 5 stars but it didn’t work. Sorry.
How much oil do you fry the chicken in? Just a couple of tablespoons as indicated in the ingredients list?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad to hear that, Craig, thank you for your feedback! Yes, just a couple of tablespoons of oil, more if needed.
Kawther says
Makes me proud as bahraini that you like our national dish machboos. Your reciepe is perfect.
The same reciepe can be done with either fish or meat also. Next time try it with “Hamoor” a type of fish. It’s my favourite for ever.
Tip: the darker the onion are cooked you get darker rice later.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much for the compliment and the tip, Kawther!
Geraldine says
Made this mouth watering dish….It was well appreciated… .Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Geraldine, I’m so glad it was a hit, thank you!
Colin says
I spent a couple of years in the Gulf area. I remember the wonderful aroma of the spices in the markets.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Oh, there’s nothing like, Colin. I have a bit of a spice obsession :)
Anonymous says
This has made me happier than you can imagine. If you were unwed, I would proclaim my love to you from the rooftops. Will cook this next weekend and have a meltdown over how delicious it will taste. Thanks so much for writing the recipe really well, it’s thorough and easy to understand.
Any chance of doing some research on how to cook Kuwaiti machboos? I’m not sure how dissimilar it is, but I’m sure there’s enough differences to warrant another recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you :) Be sure to keep us posted on what you think once you’ve tried the dish. I’ll have to look into Kuwait’s version but from what I can tell the primary difference is the use of lamb instead of chicken.
Sandy says
Thank you for this recipe. I’m making it today in honor of the Formula-1 auto race that is in Bahrain this week. We cook a dish from each country the race is being held in, and have our friends over to watch it and feast! The next one is in Russia! Borscht?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Sandy, what a super fun thing to do! I hope everyone enjoyed the Machboos!