Fega'ata Chicken – Bahrain's Answer to Middle Eastern Rice Dishes

Fega'ata is a Bahraini rice dish – spiced chicken layered beneath fragrant saffron basmati, steamed together in one pot and flipped to serve. It sits alongside better-known Middle Eastern rice dishes like maqluba, kabsa and mansaf, each built on the same principle of layering meat and rice with aromatic spices. This fega'ata chicken recipe came from a cookery book in my collection, cooked at Casa Adora with whatever the kitchen had to offer — red pepper, broccoli, and a handful of olives. One pot, one hungry chef.

A NOTE ON MIDDLE EASTERN RICE DISHES

Maqluba — the name means "upside down" in Arabic — is the Iraqi and Palestinian version, built with lamb or chicken, aubergine, tomatoes and rice and flipped dramatically to serve. Kabsa is the Saudi national dish, slow-cooked with a complex spice blend and served on a vast platter. Mansaf is the Jordanian celebration dish, lamb slow-cooked in fermented dried yoghurt. Fega'ata is the Bahraini equivalent — simpler, quieter, and every bit as satisfying.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken and vegetables:

• 1 chicken thigh and drumstick, bone in, skin on
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ red pepper, sliced
• A small handful of broccoli florets, lightly blanched
• 4–5 green or black olives, pitted and sliced
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp paprika
• A pinch of ground cinnamon
• A pinch of ground cardamom
• 1½ tsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp yoghurt
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the rice:

• 120ml basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained
• A pinch of saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp warm water
• ½ bay leaf
• A pinch of ground cinnamon
• A pinch of ground cardamom
• Sea salt

To finish:

• 1 tsp butter or ghee, melted
• A small handful of toasted almonds or cashews
• Fresh coriander, chopped

How to Make Fega'ata Chicken

1. Heat the oil in a small heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook for 4–5 minutes until softened and beginning to colour.
2. Add the garlic and all the spices. Sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and yoghurt, then add the chicken. Brown on all sides for 5–7 minutes.
4. Flatten the chicken to cover the base of the pot. Scatter the broccoli and olives evenly over the top.
5. Spread the soaked and drained rice over everything. Drizzle over the saffron water. Add the bay leaf and a pinch each of cinnamon and cardamom.
6. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce to a low heat, and steam for 25–30 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 5–10 minutes to rest.
8. Place a serving plate over the pot and flip to invert. Drizzle with melted butter or ghee, scatter over the toasted nuts and fresh coriander, and serve immediately.

The flip is the defining moment of any fega'ata chicken recipe — what comes out is golden, juicy chicken on top of fragrant saffron rice, still holding the shape of the pot. Serve with a spoonful of yoghurt, a squeeze of lemon, or a simple salad of tomatoes, cucumber and parsley. If you enjoy one-pot rice dishes, the chicken and saffron rice on the hob is a simpler weeknight version along similar lines.

FOOTNOTE

This fega'ata chicken recipe is part of the Chicken Recipes hub — a complete collection of chicken and poultry recipes from Casa Adora and the road.
It also features in my Rice Recipes collection — a global collection of rice dishes from paella to pilau.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef.