Kabsa

About This Recipe

Kabsa is the undisputed national dish of Saudi Arabia and one of the most widely eaten foods across the Arabian Peninsula. At its heart, Kabsa is a one-pot layered rice dish where long-grain rice is cooked in a deeply spiced broth alongside chicken, lamb, goat, or camel. The signature kabsa spice blend — typically including black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, coriander, and dried limes — creates an aromatic, complex flavour that is unmistakably Gulf. Served on an enormous platter with the meat placed on top, Kabsa is the dish of hospitality, celebration, and everyday family joy in Saudi Arabia.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 wholechicken, cut into pieces
• 3 cupsbasmati rice, rinsed and soaked 30 min
• 2 largeonions, finely diced
• 1 400g cancrushed tomatoes
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 2 wholedried limes (loomi), pierced
• 1 tbspkabsa spice mix
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspground black pepper
• 1/2 tspground cardamom
• 1/2 tspground cinnamon
• 1/4 tspground cloves
• 1 pinchsaffron
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 4 cupschicken stock
• 2 tspsalt
• 50 gtoasted pine nuts or almonds
• 50 graisins

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the chicken

   Heat oil in a large pot. Season chicken with salt and brown on all sides until golden. Remove and set aside.

2. 2

   Build the base

   In the same pot, sauté onions until golden. Add garlic, then all spices. Stir 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Braise the chicken

   Return chicken to the pot. Add stock and dried limes. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 45 minutes until chicken is completely tender.

4. 4

   Cook the rice

   Remove chicken. Measure the remaining broth — you need 4.5 cups (top up with water if needed). Add drained rice. Bring to boil, stir, then cover and cook on very low heat 20 minutes.

5. 5

   Plate and serve

   Spread rice on a large platter. Arrange chicken pieces on top. Scatter pine nuts and raisins. Serve with a fresh cucumber-tomato salad.

Variations

• •

  Lamb Kabsa (Kabsa Lahm): replace chicken with bone-in lamb shoulder, extending braise time to 90 minutes.

• •

  Seafood Kabsa: use prawns and fish stock for a coastal variation popular in Jeddah.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Reheat rice in microwave with a damp paper towel to retain moisture.

Frequently Asked Questions