CarolCooks2 in my kitchen…Chicken Kabsa

Welcome to my kitchen…It’s time for another Chicken Recipe …Last week it was chicken pot pie and today it’s…Chicken Kabsa…

Chicken is a very versatile protein it has little fat(unless we add it)…a healthy alternative to red meat… it is indeed low in saturated fat, contains higher amounts of omega-6 fatty acids than other animal meats, and is high in protein and essential vitamins and minerals such as B6, B12, iron, zinc, and copper…

Today I am sharing Chicken Kabsa…A popular and traditional Arabic dish…

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp ground cardamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground white pepper

1/2 tsp dried whole lime powder…Cooks Note: Whole dried limes can be found in Persian groceries or on the internet. Grind them in a spice grinder or blender to make dried lime powder…Any ingredient that gives you a tart flavour like fresh lemon or lime juice and sumac would make a suitable substitute,

1/4 cup of butter
1 onion finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic minced
1 whole chicken cut into pieces or chicken pieces about 3lb in weight
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 14.5 ounces tin of diced tomatoes drained
3 carrots peeled and grated
2 whole cloves
1 pinch of ground cumin
1 pinch of ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
675 ml of hot water
1 cube chicken bouillon or 675 ml of chicken stock
2 1/4 cups unrinsed basmati rice
1/4 cup of raisins
1/4 cup of slivered almonds toasted

Let’s Cook!

Mix together the cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, white pepper and lime powder in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent and slightly caramelised about 5 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and brown them over medium-high heat until lightly browned about 10 minutes. Mix in the tomato puree.

Stir in the canned tomatoes with their juice, the grated carrots, whole cloves, nutmeg, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper, and the Kabsa spice mix. Cook for about 3 minutes; pour in the water, and add the chicken bouillon cube or chicken stock if used…

Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot. Simmer until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear for about 30 minutes.

Gently stir in the rice. Cover the pot and simmer until rice is tender and almost dry, about 25 minutes; add the raisins and a little more hot water, if necessary. Cover and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the rice grains are separate.

Transfer the rice to a large serving platter and arrange the chicken pieces on top. Sprinkle the toasted slivered almonds over the dish.

Note:

Don’t rinse or soak the rice before using it. Depending on the type of rice you use, you may need to use more or less water. Stay on the low side to avoid the dish being too mushy–you can always add more…we don’t want soggy rice …

Thank you for joining me today as always I look forward to your comments …x