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I started by gathering my ingredients. Now, majboos has many variants across the region. Some recipes get very complex, but I wanted to keep this as simple as possible.

Next, I prepped my veggies. One whole onion( I’m using red because that’s what I had on hand), and you know how I feel about garlic, the more the merrier. If I had fresh tomatoes, I would take 3 and dice those as well, but I didn’t have fresh tomatoes, so I’m using canned diced tomatoes.

After everything is washed and chopped, I heated two tablespoons of oil in my trusted Dutch oven. I browned the chicken thighs on both sides, then set them aside for the moment. I then added my onion and sautéed it until it was nice and glossy. I added my garlic for just a minute to release all the good smells, then added the tomatoes.

Once I scraped all the fond, I added my spices.

You may remember ras el hanout from my Moroccan dish. I hand-made the spice mix for that dish, but I just so happened to find some at my local Asian store. Sure, I could have added the spices individually, but since they’re already in one jar, why not just use that?

Another variant I came across was the addition of lime. Black lime is a key ingredient in this dish. You can order it online, but I was determined to find my ingredients locally. The limes are dried and then added to the broth to bring more of a tang to the dish. I wasn’t sure if using fresh regular limes would alter the effect as much, so I opted for a powdered option.

This is what I was able to find in my local grocery store. Your mileage may vary.

Now that all my spices are added, I poured in 4 cups of water, three bay leaves, some sea salt, and my chicken. I turned down my burner to its lowest setting, popped the lid on my pot, and let it simmer for about an hour. You could probably get away with 30 minutes, but like a good gumbo, the longer it simmers, the better.

Y’all, when I tell you my house smelled amazing….

After the chicken is fully cooked and the broth is steeped, I add my (WASHED)rice to the pot and cover. I cooked this for another 30 minutes until the rice was fully cooked.

I may have messed up here, because every recipe I researched shows whole, in-tact chicken thighs, but mine literally fell apart in the mixture. This recipe may not be entirely accurate, but I’m more than happy with the results. The only thing left to do is plate up and enjoy.

I threw some green onions on top just for shiggles, but you could also add slivered almonds, golden raisins, the world is your oyster.

This dish tasted even better than it smelled! The spices weren’t overpowering, and the chicken practically melted in my mouth. I can also say with authority that this is tastes even better the next day. Definitely a win.