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Yemeni · Gulf Arab

Chicken mandi

Non-vegetarian

مندي دجاج · mandi dajaj

Spice-rubbed chicken roasted over fragrant rice that cooks in the drippings, finished with a quick charcoal smoke. Originally from Hadhramaut in Yemen and now loved throughout the Arabian Peninsula.

Chicken mandi is a Yemeni rice dish, ready in about 3 hours 45 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on and basmati rice. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Chicken mandi
Photo: ismartnoor007 / Pixabay · Pixabay Content License
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Rest
10 min
Total
3 h 45 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
866

Includes at least 2 hours marinating.

Ingredients

6 servings

For the spice rub

For the rice

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the rub spices, salt and oil and rub all over the chicken, under the skin where you can. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

    • 10 min

    Food safety: Wash hands and boards after handling raw chicken.

  2. Step 2

    Melt the ghee (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) and soften the onion (opens in a new tab) with the whole spices, bay and dried lime (opens in a new tab). Add the drained rice, stock and salt, bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes, then tip into a deep roasting dish.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Set a rack over the rice and lay the chicken on it, so the juices drip into the rice. Cover tightly with foil and bake.

  4. Step 4

    Uncover the chicken and roast until the skin is browned and the chicken reaches 74 °C at the thickest point.

    • 15 min
    • 220°C

    Food safety: Check the thickest part of the thigh with a thermometer.

  5. Step 5

    Optional smoke: set a small heatproof bowl on the rice, add a red-hot piece of charcoal, drizzle a drop of oil on it and cover tightly for 10 minutes. Remove the bowl, then serve the chicken on the rice with raisins (opens in a new tab) and almonds (opens in a new tab).

    • 10 min

    Food safety: Handle hot charcoal with tongs, in a well-ventilated room, and never leave it unattended.

About this dish

Origin
Hadhramaut, Yemen · Well documentedMandi originates in Hadhramaut, where it is cooked in an underground tandoor-like pit.Also popular in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, OmanMore food from Yemen
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Rice dishes · Main courses
Cooking method
Roasted, Smoked, Steamed
Taste
smoky, aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury
Diet
No gluten ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Basmati rice · Cumin · Ground coriander · Cardamom · Turmeric
Techniques
Roasting · Baking · Smoking · Boiling · Steaming

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
  • Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom almonds
  • May contain: Celeryfrom chicken stock
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom raisins

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

866 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 435 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 22%
  • Carbohydrate 32%
  • Fat 46%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy866 kcal199 kcal
Protein46.3 g10.6 g
Carbohydrate68.3 g15.7 g
Net carbohydrate65.9 g15.1 g
Sugars2.9 g0.7 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2.4 g0.5 g
Fat43.7 g10 g
Saturated fat12.5 g2.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol165 mg38 mg
Sodium1005 mg231 mg
Salt equivalent2.5 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
665 mg
Calcium
73 mg
Iron
6.3 mg
Magnesium
73 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
122 µg
Vitamin C
6 mg
Vitamin D
0.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
312 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: raisins, almonds.
  • Dried lime (loomi): Raw lemon peel used as a stand-in; dried limes are dehydrated whole limes and are used in small amounts for flavour.
  • Basmati rice: Generic long-grain white rice (FDC 168877); basmati has very similar composition.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • If you have no rack, sit the chicken on thick onion slices over the rice so it roasts rather than stews.

Common mistakes

  • Opening the foil too early — the rice relies on trapped steam and drippings to cook.

Serve with

  • Serve with a hot tomato-chilli sauce (sahawiq) and yogurt.

Food safety

  • Cool cooked rice quickly and reheat only once.

Storage

  • Refrigerate within 1 hour; keeps 2 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat covered with a splash of water until piping hot.

Variations

  • Lamb mandi: Use bone-in lamb shoulder and roast covered for about 3 hours.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

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Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 5

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