Yellow Rice with Chicken (Oozi)

Another popular Arabic dish is yellow rice with chicken or otherwise known as Oozi. Oozi can be made in different ways depending on the Middle Eastern country you're in. I am going to talk about how the Palestinian version of Oozi is prepared. Very similar to Kabsa, the main ingredients in Oozi are basmati rice and roasted chicken. The chicken can be roasted as a whole or in pieces. The roasted whole chicken is usually stuffed with either rice, vegetables or potatoes or a combination of the three.


When preparing the rice, chopped onions, garlic, ground meat and almonds are stirred in a pot. Tumeric is added to the rice to give it that strong yellow color. There are certain areas in Palestine that also add peas, carrots, and corn to the rice. Popular side dishes served with Oozi are yogurt or Arabic salad.

Personally, I love it when my mom or my wife makes Oozi with a whole chicken stuffed with yellow rice. The rice inside the chicken is more juicy and so delicious to eat. When I visit my family in Palestine, I noticed that most families, at least most families in Silwad, serve this meal during family gatherings (azoomas).



Country of Specialty:

Oozi is an authentic meal of Saudi Arabia. Oozi was actually derived from the Arabic dish known as stuffed lamb (Kharoof Ma3shi). The Saudi Arabian Oozi is prepared differently from the Palestinian Oozi since it is eaten with lamb instead of chicken. Various vegetables including peas, carrots and corn are also added to the rice when preparing the Saudi Arabian Oozi.