Best Chicken Mandy Yemeni Saudi Recipes

CHICKEN MANDI

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine the ground spices including cumin, green cardamom, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, ginger, and nutmeg.
• If using whole spices: lightly roast the whole spices in a small dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat and allow the spices to cool slightly. Then transfer to a spice grinder and grind until the spices reach a fine powder consistency.
• In a small bowl combine the olive oil, melted butter, lime juice, and a portion of the mandi spice.
• Coat your whole chicken, spatchcock chicken, halved chicken (remove the neck if you cut the chicken in half), or chicken pieces with the marinade thoroughly.
• Cover, refrigerate, and marinate the coated chicken for at least one hour, and preferably overnight (or 8 hours). *Remember to place the marinated chicken out before cooking for about 30 minutes to allow it to come to room temperature.
• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and line a baking tray or sheet with parchment paper.
• Roast the chicken for 40-45 minutes (check earlier if roasting chicken pieces, or cook longer for a whole chicken) or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (82 degrees C) as read by a digital meat thermometer. Remove from oven when done.
• Heat a large pan or Dutch oven with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and becoming translucent. Add the crushed garlic cloves and saute for an additional 30 seconds.
• Add the diced green chiles, garlic ginger paste, mandi spice blend, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. Continue to saute for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the soaked and rinsed rice and fry with the sauteed diced onion, green chiles, and spices. Stir continuously for 10 minutes.
• Pour in the chicken broth, stir, cover with aluminum foil and your pot or Dutch oven lid. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10-15 minutes. *If the rice still has water after 10 minutes, cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Once the rice is cooked, fluff the rice.
• Place a single barbecue charcoal briquette on your gas stove ring (or under a broiler on high) for about 5 minutes or until red hot.
• Make a double-layer pouch or bowl of aluminum foil that is lightly coated with cooking oil. Place the red hot coal into the pouch and nestle it into the center of the rice.
• Place the chicken over the rice and charcoal, then seal the pot with a sheet of aluminum foil again and seal with the lid. Leave the pot sealed for at least 10 minutes.
• Open the pot just before serving, carve the chicken pieces if needed, and serve over the smoky rice.

CHICKEN MANDY (YEMENI, SAUDI)

Steps:

• NOTE: YOU NEED 1 bukhoor coal cut into 4 pieces.
• Make sure the skin is left on the chicken. This is one of the keys for cooking mandy because the skin produces natural fat to cook in the spices. This is why we do not use an oil. Rub mandy spice and sea salt, to taste all over chicken pieces. Place in a non-stick saute pan (or a well seasoned cast iron pan is what I use), cook chicken uncovered with no oil until tender and brown. Place cooked chicken on a plate reserving the pan remnants in the pan as they are.
• In a separate pan saute finely chopped onion with 1 tbs butter until tender. Add the whole bruised cardamom pods, cloves, chicken stock, sea salt, to taste, and drained Basmati rice; stir. Bring to a full boil add chopped tomatoes then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook (do not remove lid) for 15 minutes or as long as you cook your rice usually.
• After the chicken and rice are done pour the rice into the saute pan used to cook the chicken, mix around if transferring back to the other pot which I suggest if you use a cast iron pan like I do. Place the onion shell bowl into the middle of the rice. If you make a indent in the rice it is easier. Melt butter and pour into onion bowl. Carefully place chicken around the pan slightly close to the onion bowl. Add a hot bit of coal into the melted butter and quickly shut the lid. Allow to smoke for 15 minutes adding a new coal as needed. You may use 3 or 4 pieces of the same bukhoor coal.
• Remove onion bowl carefully and discard.
• Enjoy!