Saleeg (Saudi Creamy Rice with Chicken)
سلیق (سعودی ملائم چاول مرغی کے ساتھ)
Saleeg is the Saudi answer to comfort food: rice cooked slowly in chicken stock and then milk until it's soft, creamy and almost porridge-like, topped with golden roasted chicken and a generous drizzle of ghee. It comes from Taif and the Hijaz region in western Saudi Arabia and is often served in winter and to anyone feeling unwell. If you love khichdi or kheer-style rice, saleeg will feel instantly familiar, but it's savoury and gently perfumed with cardamom and mastic.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr 30 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 1 hr 15 min
- Easy
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Simmer the chicken with the water, onion, cardamom, bay leaves, peppercorns, mastic and salt for 35 minutes until tender. Lift out the chicken and strain the stock.
Brush the chicken with a little ghee and roast at 220°C for 20 minutes until golden.
Meanwhile, cook the rice in 5 cups of the stock on low heat for 25 minutes, stirring often, until very soft. Add the milk and cook for 10–15 minutes more, stirring, until creamy and thick.
Spread the rice on a platter, make a well in the centre, pour in the melted ghee and arrange the roast chicken on top.
Kitchen notes
Saleeg should be soft and spoonable, like a loose risotto. Add more stock if it gets too thick.
Stir often once the milk goes in; it catches easily.
Serve with daqqus (tomato and chilli salsa) or lemon to cut the richness.
Hijazi comfort food
Saleeg is a speciality of Taif, the mountain city above Makkah, and the wider Hijaz region. Families make it on cold evenings, for guests and for anyone recovering from illness. It’s gentle and rich at the same time: soft rice, tender chicken and the warm flavour of ghee.
Stock, then milk
The rice is cooked first in a well-flavoured chicken stock, which seasons it, then finished with milk, which makes it creamy. Constant stirring breaks down some of the starch, giving a texture somewhere between risotto and a loose porridge.
Familiar flavours
South Asian readers will find saleeg reassuringly familiar, close to a savoury version of kheer or a creamy khichdi, perfumed with cardamom. A pinch of mastic is a traditional Hijazi touch; it’s optional.
Serving
Serve hot on a platter with roast chicken on top, a pool of melted ghee in the centre, and tomato salsa or lemon wedges on the side. Compare it with spiced kabsa from the same country.
Questions people ask
Which rice is best?
Short-grain or Egyptian rice gives the creamiest result. Basmati works but stays more separate.
Is saleeg sweet?
No. Despite the milk, it's savoury, seasoned with salt, cardamom and pepper.
Can I make it ahead?
It thickens as it stands. Reheat with extra stock or milk, stirring until creamy again.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 560
- Protein
- 36 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
