Chicken Bukhari Rice (Saudi Traditional Rice)

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The cuisine in the Middle East is an amalgamation of different traditional flavors, spices, and cultures sewn together to create complex flavors that you can experience in every country and region.

Bukhari rice, now one of the most popular dishes in Saudi Arabia, it is considered to be a national Saudi dish.

The name “Bukhari” comes from “Bukhara”, a formerly prominent point on the Silk Road, which was the center of trade, culture, scholarship, and religion. The Bukhara Region was once a part of the Persian Empire as well, and these vast cultures are known for their delicious rice dishes – bukhari rice being the simplest of them.

When I went back to my home in Jeddah, one of the first things I’ve longed to eat again was bukhari rice. Every family household has their own recipe and way of doing it, and there are various traditional bukhari restaurants scattered all across the city, where they cook huge large pots of bukhari rice on the daily. It is one of the cheapest, and most affordable and delicious meals you can get, and people of all walks of life line up in front of these shops to buy a whole beautifully roasted chicken with bukhari rice and duggus dip (Saudi salsa, I call it) to go along with it.

Traditionally, it is made in large rounded aluminum pots, kind of similar to a wok but deeper, and because of that, the heat is distributed equally all across the rice, and the pot retains the heat, and due to the round shape of the base of the pot, the rice doesn’t get stuck in any corners.

Making it at home is a wonderful and simple process, and being able to have those memorable flavors no matter where you are on the globe is a blessing that I am forever thankful for. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and may it be a staple in your home as it is in ours!

A special thank you to my wonderful friend and follower Lamar and her dear, lovely mother for helping me walk through this delicious traditional bukhari recipe and helping me try my best to stick to it as traditionally as possible. All credit goes to them!

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Chicken Bukhari Rice

Yield: 2-4

Author: Yasmeen's Kitchen Diary

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min

A Saudi Arabian specialty, this dish is loaded with delicious flavors!

Ingredients US Metric

Bukhari Rice:

• 1 cup (250 ml) oil
• 2 carrots, cut into a julienne
• A handful of black raisins
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces, skin on, salted and peppered
• 2 medium sized crushed tomatoes
• 1-2 tsp tomato paste
• 2 cups basmati rice (long grain), washed and drained
• 3½ cups water
• 2 green chili peppers
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Optional: 1-2 tsp cumin

Duggus (Saudi Salsa):

• Coriander, a bunch
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2-4 Tomatoes
• 2 green chilis, or more according to your spice requirement
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Lemon juice, according to taste

Instructions

For the rice:

1. Add oil and fry carrots and raisins for about 3-5 minutes – remove, drain and set aside.
2. Add sliced onions and fry until golden
3. Add the chicken, skin side down, and fry for 2-3 minutes until slightly golden
4. Pour crushed tomatoes
5. Stir in tomato paste
6. Leave to simmer and reduce for 5-10 minutes.
7. Remove the chicken on a baking tray and place it in the oven to completely golden.
8. Add 2 cups of basmati rice.
9. Add 3½ (750 ml) water and bring to a boil then reduce to the lowest simmer.
10. Add 2 whole green chili peppers.
11. Simmer the rice for 30-45 minutes until the water is absorbed and rice is perfectly cooked.
12. Garnish with fried raisins, carrots, and parsley and enjoy!

Duggus (Saudi Salsa):

1. In a blender, add coriander, tomatoes, garlic, and green chili peppers.
2. Blend until thick and smooth.
3. Flavor with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
4. Serve alongside bukhari rice.

Notes:

• Bukhari rice can also be garnished with chickpeas and almonds.
• This amount of oil is the traditional amount used, you may decrease it according to your preference.
• Traditionally, bukhari rice does not have a lot of spices – salt, black pepper, and cumin and chili peppers are the top three and only spices that are used. Nowadays spices such as cinnamon, bay leafs, cardamom, and cloves are added into recipes.
• The cooking time of the rice varies from stove to stove and pot to pot, be sure to check the doneness of the rice after 20 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

1003.83

Fat (grams)

76.87

Sat. Fat (grams)

9.42

Carbs (grams)

33.54

Fiber (grams)

2.94

Net carbs

30.60

Sugar (grams)

6.00

Protein (grams)

44.98

Sodium (milligrams)

408.76

Cholesterol (grams)

131.56

www.yasmeenskitchendiary.com/home/chicken-bukhari-rice

Traditional, Rice, Saudi, Arab, Middle Eastern

Main course, Traditional

Saudi, Middle Eastern, Arab

Bon appétit!