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Gulf Arab

Chicken saloona

Non-vegetarian

صالونة دجاج · ṣālūna dajāj

A homely Gulf stew of chicken, potatoes, carrots and courgette simmered in a tomato broth with warm spices and a dried lime for gentle sourness.

Chicken saloona is a Gulf Arab stew, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on and tomato. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
55 min
Total
1 h 15 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
650

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil and cook the onion (opens in a new tab) until golden, then add the garlic (opens in a new tab) and ginger for a minute.

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

  2. Step 2

    Add the chicken and all the spices and turn until the chicken is coated and lightly coloured.

    • 5 min
    • medium-high heat

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and tomato paste (opens in a new tab) and cook until they break down. Add the potato (opens in a new tab), carrot (opens in a new tab), dried lime (opens in a new tab), water and salt, bring to the boil and simmer partly covered.

    • 25 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Add the courgette (opens in a new tab) and simmer until all the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through. Scatter with coriander.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Chicken must reach 74 °C at the bone.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Commonly attributedAn everyday stew across the Gulf states, made with chicken, lamb, fish or just vegetables.Also popular in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Stewed, Simmered
Taste
aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury, tangy, mild
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Everyday · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Tomato · Onion · Garlic · Fresh ginger · Cumin
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Stewing

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

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

650 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 753 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 26%
  • Carbohydrate 22%
  • Fat 52%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy650 kcal86 kcal
Protein42.5 g5.6 g
Carbohydrate35.7 g4.7 g
Net carbohydrate29 g3.8 g
Sugars9.4 g1.2 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre6.7 g0.9 g
Fat37.8 g5 g
Saturated fat9.3 g1.2 g
Trans fat0.2 g0 g
Cholesterol150 mg20 mg
Sodium1063 mg141 mg
Salt equivalent2.7 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1473 mg
Calcium
121 mg
Iron
4.3 mg
Magnesium
107 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
384 µg
Vitamin C
55 mg
Vitamin D
0.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
71 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: coriander leaves.
  • 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.
  • “—” 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

  • Press the dried lime against the side of the pot near the end to release more of its flavour; remove before serving if it gets too bitter.

Serve with

  • With plain white rice or flatbread.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge; freezes well without the potato.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently until piping hot.

Variations

  • Fish saloona: Firm fish such as kingfish is added for the last 10 minutes instead of chicken.

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

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. 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 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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