Kabsa, or Machboos as they call it, is one of my all time favorite meals. And for many reasons. My sisters mother in law would make this Qatari Machboos for us every time she’d visit. It quickly became a favorite meal of mine. Now, obviously no one will ever make it as good as she does. But that didn’t stop me from harassing her and measuring everything she put in so I could nail the recipe. And I sure did.
Me being the brilliant cook that I am, I had to make it a one pot kabsa that required minimal dishes and minimal work. Because who wants to wash a million pots and pans after a long day. The thing that always steers me away from a recipe like this is the amount of work that goes into preparing it. Because with 3 kids, I just don’t have the energy to do a million steps.
Anyways, I got you guys the perfect measurements with the perfect technique. You will have dinner on the table in an hour. And it will be the most flavorful dinner you’ve had. And you’ll have minimal dishes. If there’s one recipe of mine you need to try, it’s this one. You will not regret it. Not only that, you’ll probably make it at least once a month.
One Pot Kabsa
The most flavorful rice you’ll ever have. This is literally the only Kabsa recipe you’ll ever need.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 Hour
- Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
Ingredients
1 Chicken, skin removed and cut into 4–6 pieces
1.5 cups Sela Basmati Rice
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Onion, finely diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 Tomatoes, finely diced
Jalapeno, to taste
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 1/2 tbsp Kabsa or Machboos Spice
1 tbsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Ground Cardamom
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick
3 Whole Cloves
3 Whole Cardamom
1 tsp Chicken Bouillon Powder, or 1 Cube
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Bay Leaf
1/2–1 tbsp Salt, to taste
3 1/2 Cups Water
Toasted Almonds and Raisins, for serving
Instructions
Clean your chicken and remove the skin. Dry and set aside. Mix your spices and have them ready.
Roughly chop your onion and then pulse it in a food processor until its finely minced. You can also dice by hand. Set aside.
In the same food processor pulse the roughly chopped tomatoes and set aside. You can also do this by hand.
Mince your garlic and set aside. If you want it spicy either mince your jalapeno or slice it in half to cook with the rice.
I like to make this in my Caraway Home Pot. NOTHING sticks and it’s the perfect size. Heat the vegetable oil and then add in your onions. Saute until translucent. Add the garlic and jalapeno and saute for another minute. Add the tomato paste and the spices and saute for another minute.
Add in the diced tomatoes and mix well. Nestle the chicken into the pasty sauce. Allow it to cook on medium low for a couple minutes. Finally, add the water and bring it to a boil.
Once the mixture comes to a boil, cover it and let it cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Don’t overcook the chicken or it will fall apart.
Rinse your rice and add it to the pot once the chicken is cooked. Bring it to a rolling boil, give it a good stir ensuring you scrape the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot and lower the heat to the lowest it’ll go. Cook the rice for 35-45 minutes until it’s fully cooked and no liquid remains.
Flip and serve with toasted almonds and fried raisins. I also serve it with Taqoos Sauce and Yogurt. For the Taqoos, blend 1/2 a chopped onion with Jalapeno to taste, and 2 chopped tomatoes. Add the juice of half a lemon and salt to taste. I use the same food processor I chopped the onions and tomatoes in for the machboos. Enjoy!
Notes
I personally use a Machboos Spice my sister got from Qatar. There are many varieties out there. I have also made it with the Ziyad Kebsa Spice that I linked. Go easy on the salt until you see how salted the spice mixture you use is.
Don’t overcook your chicken or it will fall apart when the dish is done.
I factored for extra water since this mixture cooks down a little. Typically each cup of this rice is 1:2 ratio. Make sure to allow the rice to boil well before turning down the heat and covering the pot.
Once it’s done, you may still see a little liquid on the top. Fluff it slightly with the fork and check the middle. That’s what will help you determine if you need to cook it for longer.
U Z
This recipe turned out amazing! From my three year old, who cleaned her plate to my parents in-law, everyone loved it. Will definitely be making this again.
Nur Ashour
It’s our favorite here as well! Thanks for making it!
U Z
Made it again today and husband requested that I make this again in a few days because he wants to invite some friends over!
Samah
The first time that i made this dish I have to admit I messed up on the rice to water ratio but I knew I had to attempt it again. I made it for my in laws and they loved it!! I truly enjoyed this recipe and it being a one pot recipe made it even better lol.
Nur Ashour
Yes it’s so easy! Glad you still enjoyed it!
Mona
I’ve made this recipe 5 times since you’ve published it. Can’t thank you enough, absolutely delicious.
Nur Ashour
YAY! So happy to hear that!
Lama
First time ever making kabsa. This recipe is the ONLY kabsa recipe you will ever need. I followed the steps and the final result came out perfect. Flavorful, moist and so so good! I wish I could give this recipe 10 stars!
Nur Ashour
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you loved it so much ❤️
Zaina
This is the only kabseh recipe one could ever need! So flavorful and easy to follow. Have made it so many times and it tastes great every single time!!!
Nur
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Rawan
Hello, looks extremely delicious. I was wondering if I want to increase the amount of rice to the double, what should I change in the recipe?
Nur
You can double everything but the meat!