Ingredients Meat & Poultry Chicken Chicken Thighs Chicken Kabsa 4.5 (2) This gorgeous, fragrant Saudi Arabian entrée is a show stopper. Close Credit: Jake Sternquist Prep Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins Total Time: 2 hrs Servings: 6 Jump to recipe Chicken kabsa is considered the national dish of Saudi Arabia. It's a spiced chicken-and-rice dinner that’s full of tantalizing flavors and textures. It features drumsticks and bone-in thighs that are browned then simmered in a fragrant mixture of tomatoes, orange zest, garlic, ginger, and spices. They’re finished in the oven while rice simmers in the leftover cooking liquid, infusing every grain with savory depth. The dish is finished with a sprinkling of fried almonds and raisins, plus fresh parsley and a tangy lemon-yogurt sauce. You’ll need to set aside a couple hours to make this show-stopping dish, but with its layers of flavor and gorgeous presentation, it’s well worth the time and effort. 18 Comforting Chicken and Rice Recipes to Make for Dinner What Is Chicken Kabsa? Chicken kabsa is made up of tender, spiced bone-in chicken pieces arranged on a bed of rice and vegetables. It's positively packed with flavor, thanks to aromatics like garlic, ginger, and orange zest, plus spices including cumin, cardamom, and clove. The beloved meal, a favorite in Saudi Arabia, is served in both casual settings and at lavish feasts, and while this version contains chicken, the dish can also be made with lamb, goat, or camel meat. 3 Tips for Making Chicken Kabsa Gather your ingredients before you start cooking: The ingredient list for this recipe is quite lengthy and many ingredients will be added at the same time when cooking the chicken. To set yourself up for success, measure out all the ingredients—from the spices and aromatics to the vegetables and liquid—before you begin cooking. It will streamline the process and help keep you organized, which can make for a much more enjoyable experience. Soak the rice: Before cooking the chicken, rinse the basmati rice thoroughly (you’ll know it’s good to go when the water runs clear) and then soak it for a full 45 minutes. Rinsing rice removes excess starch which keeps the rice from becoming clumpy and sticky as it cooks and leaves you with fluffy, individual grains. While soaking helps to hydrate the rice to ensure that it cooks evenly and absorbs as much flavor as possible from the aromatic cooking liquid. Don’t skip the garnishes: This kabsa recipe is finished with fried almonds and raisins, they add a welcomed crunch and burst of sweetness that contrasts beautifully with the spice-forward chicken and rice. If you’d rather not deep fry, you can use toasted almonds and plump the raisins in a little hot water to rehydrate them instead. Directions Credit: Jake Sternquist Make the lemon yogurt sauce: In a medium bowl, stir to combine yogurt, lemon zest and juice, parsley, and cayenne. Season with salt; set aside. Credit: Jake Sternquist Preheat oven and brown chicken: Preheat oven to 375°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large high-sided saute pan or Dutch oven over medium-high. Working in batches, cook chicken, turning, until golden and crisp on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside. Credit: Jake Sternquist Cook onion, carrot, and spices Reduce heat to medium and stir in onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Credit: Jake Sternquist Add tomatoes, paste, orange, stock, and remaining spices: Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, orange zest and juice, stock, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Credit: Jake Sternquist Add chicken to pan and move to oven: Place browned chicken, skin-side up, in simmering liquid and transfer to oven for 25 minutes. Credit: Jake Sternquist Place chicken on baking sheet, reserve cooking liquid; bake chicken at lower temp: Remove chicken from cooking liquid and place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Reserve pan with cooking liquid. Reduce oven temperature to 275°F and transfer chicken to oven until cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes. Credit: Jake Sternquist Cook rice: To prepare the rice, heat pan with reserved cooking liquid over medium and bring to a simmer. Stir in rice, cover, and cook at a low simmer until rice is tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and fluff with a fork to combine. Credit: Jake Sternquist Fry almonds then raisins: Heat safflower oil in a small heavy-bottomed pot until a deep-fry thermometer reads 325°F. Add almonds and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towel-lined plate to drain. Add raisins to pot and cook until puffed, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper-towel lined plate to drain. If you don't have a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer, drop one almond into the oil; if it sizzles upon contact, the oil is hot enough to fry with. Credit: Jake Sternquist Credit: Jake Sternquist Arrange on platter for serving: To serve, spoon rice onto a serving platter and top with chicken. Sprinkle with fried almonds and raisins, garnish with parsley, and serve with lemon yogurt sauce. Credit: Jake Sternquist How to Store and Reheat Leftover Chicken Kabsa If you find yourself with leftover chicken kabsa, refrigerate it covered or in an airtight container for up to three days. The yogurt sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to five days. Reheating To reheat chicken kabsa, preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit. Place the rice and chicken in a baking dish, drizzle a little water or chicken broth over the rice, and cover the dish with foil. Bake until the chicken is hot throughout, 20 to 30 minutes. What to Serve With Chicken Kabsa Chicken kabsa is a complete meal on its own, but it would be excellent served with a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, or lettuce dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice. You can also try our recipes for this easy tomato-onion salad or this quick-pickled cucumber salad, either of which would be a great fit. Round things out with a soft, pillowy flatbread or even some homemade pita bread. 5 More Spice-Forward Recipes to Try Spiced Lamb Pie Golden Dal With Gingered Tomatoes Grilled Cauliflower With Spiced Yogurt Sauce Bisteeya Grilled Kofta Kebabs Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.