Dinner · 90 min · middle-eastern

Chicken Mandi

A Middle Eastern dinner built around whole chicken and basmati rice — on the table in 90 minutes.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 1 Whole chicken
• 3 cups Basmati rice
• 3 tbsp Mandi spice mix
• 1 Onion
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 1/3 cup Raisins
• 1/3 cup Almonds
• 4 tbsp Ghee
• 1/2 tsp Saffron

Steps

1. Rub the chicken inside and out with mandi spices, garlic, and salt; rest 30 minutes.
2. Roast the chicken at 400°F for 60 minutes until the skin crisps and the juices run clear; rest, then quarter.
3. Meanwhile fry the onion in ghee until golden, add the drained rice and remaining spices, and toast 2 minutes.
4. Pour in hot water and the saffron bloomed in warm milk; cook covered 18 minutes until fluffy and fragrant.
5. For the traditional smoke, heat a coal until glowing, set it in a small bowl on the rice, drizzle with ghee, and cover 5 minutes — the dukhan perfume is mandi’s signature.
6. Fluff the rice with raisins and toasted almonds.
7. Serve the chicken over the smoky rice with shattah chili sauce; Yemen’s beloved feast, now the Gulf’s favorite Friday lunch.

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