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Saudi Arabian · Gulf Arab

Jareesh

Non-vegetarian

جريش · jareesh

Crushed wheat simmered slowly with chicken, onion and cumin until thick and creamy, enriched with laban and finished with fried onions and ghee. A comforting staple of Najd in central Saudi Arabia.

Jareesh is a Saudi Arabian porridge, ready in about 4 hours and made with whole wheat berries and chicken pieces, skin-on. It serves 5 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h 45 min
Total
4 h
Serves
5
Level
Easy
Calories
553

Includes 2 hours soaking the wheat.

Ingredients

5 servings

For the topping

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the chicken in the water with the chopped onion (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab), pepper (opens in a new tab) and dried lime (opens in a new tab) until cooked, skimming at the start. Lift out the chicken and shred it, discarding the bones.

    Food safety: Cook chicken until no pink remains at the bone.

  2. Step 2

    Add the drained wheat and salt to the broth and simmer gently, stirring often, until it breaks down and turns thick and creamy. Add hot water if it catches.

    • 60 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Return the chicken and stir in the yogurt (opens in a new tab); heat gently without boiling.

    • 5 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    Fry the sliced onion (opens in a new tab) in the ghee (opens in a new tab) until deep brown, then spoon over the jareesh with the chilli.

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

About this dish

Origin
Najd, Saudi Arabia · Commonly attributedA traditional Najdi dish; also eaten in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.Also popular in Kuwait, QatarMore food from Saudi Arabia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Porridge & cereals · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Slow-cooked
Taste
creamy, earthy, savoury, mild
Diet
No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Whole wheat berries · Chicken pieces, skin-on · Onion · Cumin · Cardamom · Dried lime (loomi)
Techniques
Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom yogurt, ghee
  • Contains: Wheatfrom whole wheat berries
  • Contains: Glutenfrom whole wheat berries

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

553 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 643 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 23%
  • Carbohydrate 35%
  • Fat 42%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy553 kcal86 kcal
Protein32.3 g5 g
Carbohydrate49.8 g7.7 g
Net carbohydrate41.5 g6.4 g
Sugars4.5 g0.7 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre8.3 g1.3 g
Fat26.2 g4.1 g
Saturated fat9.7 g1.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol110 mg17 mg
Sodium934 mg145 mg
Salt equivalent2.3 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
604 mg
Calcium
146 mg
Iron
3.6 mg
Magnesium
120 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
108 µg
Vitamin C
7 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
0.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
42 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: green chilli.
  • 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

  • A pressure cooker cuts the wheat-cooking time to about 25 minutes.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling after the yogurt goes in, which splits it — keep the heat low.

Serve with

  • Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a green salad.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Loosen with hot water or stock and reheat gently.

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

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, 2, 3

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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