Chicken Mandi

This tasty chicken Mandi combines an amazingly flavorful roasted marinated chicken with smoky rice that is an unbelievable treat for dinner. Your whole family is sure to love this popular Arabic chicken meal with its intensely flavorful rice and perfectly cooked chicken.

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• Chicken Mandi is the Ultimate Chicken & Rice Dinner
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 How to Make Chicken Mandi
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Reviews

Chicken Mandi is the Ultimate Chicken & Rice Dinner

Chicken Mandi is a dish that originated in the middle eastern country of Yemen and has spread across the globe to restaurants everywhere. While there are many chicken and rice dishes that come from Arabic countries, Mandi seems to be the most popular and well-loved.

True and authentic chicken mandi is cooked in a Tabloon (tandoor oven) underground, over coals, which gives it an incredible smoky flavor. My recipe instructs on how to replicate this flavor by using charcoal and I promise, it will not disappoint!

It may look like there's a lot to this, but follow along and you'll be rewarded with a great homemade chicken mandi.

🥘 Ingredients

I've broken down the list of ingredients to re-create this spectacular dish at home into 3 groups, plus a spare for getting that smoked flavor.

Mandi Spice (Hawajj)

• Ground Cumin - I love the taste of cumin, it's one of my favorite spices! Curry powder can be used as a great substitute.
• Ground Cardamom - Ground cardamom pods work well also. They're a great whole spice for roasting!
• Ground Black Pepper - Or use peppercorns and roast them as directed below.
• Ground Coriander - This aromatic spice is also called Chinese parsley.
• Turmeric - In addition to adding great flavor, the turmeric will also add color to your roasted chicken!
• Ground Ginger - Typically I say fresh is best, but in this case, ground ginger is better because it blends so well with the other spices. It's also going to be augmented by the use of ginger garlic paste in the recipe.
• Ground Nutmeg - Adds warmth and pungent flavor.

Mandi spice, also called hawajj (hawaij, hawaj, hawayij, or hawayej) is a blend of 4 spices and is what makes this recipe so fragrant and delicious. I have made my own additions to recreate the amazing chicken mandi at home with the best results.

The core four hawaij spices include: black pepper, cardamom, cumin, and turmeric. For an even more amazing flavor, your whole spices can be roasted in a dry frying pan and then ground for use in this Yemeni spice blend.

Chicken Marinade Ingredients

• Olive Oil - Extra virgin (use the 1st portion) to make a great paste for applying the marinade.
• Butter - Melted butter to add to the marinade paste for rich flavor. Ghee works great also!
• Lime Juice - Fresh lime juice if you have it, otherwise bottled lime juice is fine.
• Mandi Spice (Hawajj) - From above (use the 1st portion).
• Chicken - Whole, spatchcock, halved, or chicken pieces can all be used in the recipe.
• Salt - A small amount to taste to bring out all of the wonderful marinade ingredient flavors!

To add a vibrant 'red' color to your marinade, use a small portion of tomato paste, paprika, or even red food color.

Mandi Rice Ingredients

• Olive Oil - Extra virgin (use the 2nd portion) adds the most amazing flavor!
  
• Onion - White onion is best for your rice, however, a yellow onion can also be used.
• Garlic - It is best to use fresh garlic for this recipe!
• Diced Green Chiles - Substitutes can be any mild chile, such as banana peppers, anaheim, or poblano peppers.
• Ginger Garlic Paste - You can use freshly diced ginger and garlic but the paste is awesome!
• Mandi Spice (Hawajj) - From above (use the 2nd portion).
• Bay Leaves - These add an herbal, slightly floral flavor. Be sure to remove them from the rice before serving!
• Cinnamon - Whole cinnamon sticks add just the right amount of the warm spice flavor. Substitute with half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to one stick.
• Saffron - This spice is expensive, as it is very labor-intensive to harvest, but the wonderful earthy, floral taste is worth it!
• Basmati Rice - The best rice for this dish, as it is light and fluffy, with a nutty flavor that pairs deliciously with the spices.
• Chicken Broth - Homemade or store-bought chicken broth or chicken stock all work wonderfully!

Charcoal (to smoke)

• Charcoal - A single briquette is all you'll need to add the smoked flavor.
• Cooking Oil - Canola oil is best for high heat, as are avocado and sunflower oil.

🔪 How to Make Chicken Mandi

This is more than a simple roasted chicken, as the time and care put into making this restaurant-worthy dish is time well spent. Even though I've kept everything as easy as possible for this homemade version of chicken mandi, I think the end result will pleasantly surprise you.

Step 1: Combine the Mandi Spice (Hawajj)

1. Combine all of the ground spices together in a bowl - ground cumin, ground cardamom, ground black pepper, ground coriander, turmeric, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg.
2. If you choose to use whole spices, you should lightly roast them in a dry frying pan until fragrant (2 - 3 minutes). Let them cool away from the heat, then grind in a spice grinder until you reach a powdery texture.

Step 2: Mix the Marinade

1. In a bowl, combine the melted butter, lime juice, olive oil, and Mandi spice.
2. Thoroughly coat all of the chicken or chicken pieces with the marinade mixture.
3. Place chicken in a covered dish and marinate for a minimum of 1 hour, but overnight is preferable (8 hours or more). *If in the fridge overnight, remember to set the marinated chicken out until it comes to room temperature before cooking (between 30 minutes to an hour).

Step 3: Cook the Marinated Chicken

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (205ºC) and use parchment paper to line a baking tray.
2. Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 40 - 45 minutes, checking periodically until the internal temperature is 180ºF (82ºC) on a digital meat thermometer. Cooking time may be slightly less for pieces of chicken, and longer for a whole chicken. Remove from the oven when done.

Step 4: Make the Mandi Rice

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch Oven or a large pan. Add the diced onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent and fragrant (2 - 3 min). Then add the fresh, crushed garlic cloves and sauté for 30 more seconds.
2. Add the Mandi spice blend, bay leaves, cinnamon stick(s), green chiles, and ginger garlic paste then keep sautéing for 2 - 3 minutes.
3. Add the rice (after soaking and rinsing) and fry with the chiles, spices, and onion. Sauté for 10 minutes while stirring continuously.
4. Next, add in the chicken broth, stir, and cover with a lid or aluminum foil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 - 15 minutes. *If after 10 minutes there is still visible water in the rice, cook for another 5 minutes.
5. When the rice is fully cooked, fluff with a fork.

Step 5: Heat the Charcoal

1. Take your single charcoal barbeque briquette and place it on a ring of your gas stove until red hot, approximately 5 minutes. *You can also place it under the broiler on high.
2. Use aluminum foil to make a double-layered bowl or pouch and lightly coat in cooking oil. Put the hot coal in the bowl and then place it in the center of the rice, pushing it down just a bit.
3. Place the cooked chicken on top of the rice and charcoal, then seal the pot with aluminum foil, followed by a lid. Leave it for 10 minutes.
4. Open the pot just before you’re ready to eat and serve the chicken on a bed of rice. Garnish with slivered almonds, roasted almonds, and/or raisins if desired.

While this recipe may seem a bit labor-intensive at first, after tasting it once, I promise you won’t want to take shortcuts the next time! The amazing blend of spices is so complex and savory and the smoky taste of the roasted chicken is perfection.

The Hawajj spice mixture gives the chicken a beautiful color for presentation and don’t forget to scrape all of the drippings from the pan onto the rice to capture every last bit of spicy, smoky goodness.

📖 Recipe Card