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United Arab Emirates, Middle East and Africa · Chicken Machboos (Emirati Spiced Chicken and Rice)

Crispy Machboos Popcorn Chicken with Black-Lime Yogurt

Bite-size chicken marinated in yogurt, bezar and dried black lime, fried until crackly and served with a tangy black-lime yogurt dip and a drizzle of honey.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time35 min
Marinating+ 30 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Cut the chicken into 2.5 cm pieces and mix with the plain yogurt, the bezar for the marinade, turmeric, garlic powder, half the ground loomi and the salt for this step. Cover and marinate in the fridge for (up to 8 hours).

    Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs, in 2.5 cm pieces 300 gPlain yogurt (for the marinade) 70 gBezar (Emirati spice mix) or baharat 1 tspGround turmeric ¼ tspGarlic powder ½ tspGround loomi (dried black lime powder) ½ tspSalt ½ tsp

  2. Make the dip: stir the Greek yogurt with the rest of the ground loomi, the lemon juice, coriander and the salt for the dip. Chill until serving.

    Add in this stepGreek yogurt (for the dip) 100 gGround loomi (dried black lime powder) ½ tspLemon, juiced ¼Fresh coriander, finely chopped 5 gSalt ⅛ tsp

  3. In a wide bowl, mix the flour, cornflour, the remaining bezar and the remaining salt. Lift the chicken out of the marinade a few pieces at a time, letting the excess drip off, and press them into the flour mix until well coated. Spread them on a plate and leave for 5 minutes, until the coating looks slightly damp; it will stick better and fry crisper.

    Add in this stepPlain flour 70 gCornflour (cornstarch) 25 gBezar (Emirati spice mix) or baharat ½ tspSalt ⅛ tsp

  4. Pour the oil into a dry, heavy 20 cm pot: it should be at least 4 cm deep but fill no more than a third of the pot. Heat over medium-high heat for about , until it reaches 170 °C. Without a thermometer, dip the end of a dry wooden chopstick in: steady small bubbles should rise around it straight away.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil for frying 600 ml

    medium-high heat

  5. Fry the chicken in ×2 batches, lowering the pieces in gently with a slotted spoon, away from you, for per batch and turning once, until deep golden, crisp and cooked through (75 °C inside; cut one open to check there is no pink). Adjust the flame to around medium heat to keep the oil between 165 and 175 °C, and let it come back up to temperature between batches. Drain on a rack or kitchen paper. Never leave hot oil unattended, keep water away from it and let it cool completely before discarding.

    medium heat

  6. Pile the chicken onto a plate, drizzle with the honey and serve hot with the black-lime yogurt dip.

    Add in this stepHoney 2 tsp

Cook's tip

Thigh meat stays juicy; breast works but dries out faster, so cut it a little larger. If you can't find ground loomi, grind whole dried limes (seeds removed) in a spice grinder, or use finely grated lemon zest. An air fryer works too: spray the coated pieces with oil and cook at 200 °C for 12 to 14 minutes, shaking halfway.

Cooking it at camp

Deep-frying on small, tippy camp burners is risky, so shallow-fry instead: use a wide, heavy pan with 1.5 cm of oil on a stable burner over a low flame, fry in small batches and turn the pieces once. Marinate at home in a sealed container and keep it in a well-iced cooler below 5 °C. Let the oil cool completely before packing it away.