Jeddah's creamy white rice dish: short-grain rice slow-cooked in chicken broth and whole milk until porridge-textured. Topped with poached chicken and clarified butter.
About Saleeg
Hejaz's white rice dish — short-grain rice slow-cooked directly in a broth of boiled chicken with milk and spices until it becomes a creamy, thick, porridge-textured rice of extraordinary richness; topped with the poached chicken and drizzled with a samneh (clarified butter) and browned onion; the Jeddah and Mecca version is the most refined in the kingdom.
Short-grain rice slow-cooked directly in a broth of boiled chicken with milk and spices until it becomes a creamy, thick, porridge-textured rice. Topped with the poached chicken and drizzled with samneh (clarified butter) and browned onion. The Jeddah and Mecca version is the most refined in the kingdom.
“Short-grain rice slow-cooked directly in a broth of boiled chicken with milk and spices until it becomes a creamy, thick, porridge-textured rice.”
The addition of whole milk during cooking is what makes saleeg different from any other Middle Eastern rice dish — the milk proteins give the rice a creamy coating.
What to Expect
The saleeg arrives white and creamy, the chicken placed on top, the butter pooling at the edges. The texture is between risotto and congee — each grain coated but still distinct.
Why Try It
Saleeg is the most specifically Hejazi dish — the milk addition is the Jeddah signature that distinguishes it from Najdi cooking.
Insider Tips
- Only short-grain rice works — long-grain stays too firm.
- The milk must be added gradually and the rice stirred frequently to prevent curdling.
- Eat at a Jeddah restaurant rather than Riyadh — it's a Hejazi dish.
