Looking for a show-stopping Middle Eastern lamb dish? This slow-roasted Lamb Haneeth is a traditional Yemeni recipe featuring bone-in lamb shoulder that’s marinated overnight in warm Arabian spices, then cooked low and slow until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender. Known for its rich flavor, aromatic spice blend, and melt-in-your-mouth texture, Haneeth is perfect for special occasions. Despite its long cooking time, this authentic lamb recipe is surprisingly easy to prepare ahead and requires minimal hands-on effort.

Baked lamb on a bed of white and yellow rice with roasted potatoes and toasted whole almonds and a sprinkling of parsley with a wooden handled serving spoon on a blue tiled background with a white and black striped tea towel at the side, a small bowl with chopped parsley and yellow rimmed plates with utensils on top.

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My Family’s Secrets to Perfect Slow Roasted Lamb!

As an Iraqi, I grew up eating lamb as our number one meat of choice. Dishes like Iraqi quzi and lamb kabsa were some of my favourites, and a slow-roasted lamb shoulder was a regular occurrence at our home. But when I tasted Yemeni style lamb-shoulder, which uses a lot more spices than my Iraqi palette was used to, the flavour blew me away!

This recipe can be made with either a lamb leg or a lamb shoulder, but I always opt for the shoulder. Here’s how you can decide which you’ll use:

  • Lamb shoulder: more fat content, connective tissue and marbling, a richer and deeper ‘lamb’ flavour, and yields softer and more tender fall-apart meat when slow roasted.
  • Lamb leg: Leaner, more compact muscles, a mild lamb flavour, a meatier bite and takes longer to become fall apart tender (and will be less tender than the shoulder, always).

Based on the above – pick your favourite and apply the same method! My dad is the lamb lover in our family and he taught me how to always ensure I get perfect fall-apart lamb:

  1. Choose the shoulder if you like very tender results,
  2. Marinate for a while (overnight or 4-6 hours) if you want to infuse more flavour into the lamb,
  3. Roast at a low temperature for a long period – in this recipe we use 350F for at least 4 hours and up to 5 hours,
  4. Ensure a sealed environment when roasting with some moisture. In this recipe, two layers of foil are used to seal the edges of the baking dish and we add some water to the bottom of the dish.

Ingredients and Planning Ahead

Ingredient shot with a lamb shoulder on a wooden cutting board, quartered onions in a small white bowl, a white plate with powdered spices, a small bowl with garlic cloves, a small pitcher of olive oil, a white bowl with sliced onion rings, a clear bowl with halved small potatoes and a white plate with whole spices on a beige marble background.

The star of the show is the lamb shoulder – so if you’re serving it with rice or salad or any other sides, feel free to skip the potatoes. I typically use the lamb drippings to make a fluffy basmati rice – notes on how to do that in the recipe card note section.

Planning Ahead: if you’re opting to marinate overnight (highly recommend!), make sure you start the night before, take the lamb out of the fridge before 12, and ensure it’s in the oven by 1 pm in order to be done by 5 to 6 pm.

If you forget to marinate overnight, start at 9 am and place the marinated lamb in the fridge. Take it out by 12 pm and then start roasting by 1 pm to have it ready by 5 to 6 pm.

How to Make Lamb Haneeth: Step-by-Step

This is a dish I will make for company, always. Because it’s easy to prepare ahead of time (in fact – it makes it even better!) and requires very minimal hands on cooking, but will look very impressive.

Small food processor with chopped onions and brown spices and pink salt on a marble background.
Place the marinade ingredients in a food processor.
Small food processor with a brown marinade being held up by a spoon on a marble background.
Process until a thick paste forms.
Lamb shoulder on a wooden cutting board with the fat being trimmed by a knife on a marble background.
If required, trim any excess fat from the shoulder.
A lamb shoulder on a wooden cutting board with slits made on the lamb on a marble background.
Make deep slits into the surface of the lamb.
Large roasting pan with halved potatoes, onion rings, whole garlic cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and cardamom pods with a drizzle of oil.
Place the onions and potatoes along with the aromatics on the bottom of the dish.
Large roasting pan with halved potatoes, onion rings, whole garlic cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and cardamom pods with a drizzle of oil and the lamb shoulder with the brown marinade on top.
Place the lamb shoulder right on top of the vegetables and add the water.

Note: Seal the lamb very well. I usually do this by covering it with parchment paper (it’s okay if the paper touches the water and vegetables), then sealing the dish with two to three layers of aluminum foil.

Roasted lamb shoulder with roasted halved potatoes and cinnamon sticks in a large roasting pan.
Roast until the lamb is fall apart, usually 4 to 5 hours.
Roasted halved potatoes in a white hold being held by a hand over the large roasting pan with roasted lamb and onions and a cinnamon stick.
Remove the potatoes.
Roasted lamb shoulder in a large roasting pan with the juices being poured over it by a black spoon.
Baste the lamb with the drippings then broil for a few minutes.

How to Serve Haneeth

My favourite way? Always over rice with toasted almonds or pine nuts on top as well as a sprinkling of parsley for colour. I explain how I use the lamb drippings to make a delicious rice in the recipe card notes section, or just use my yellow rice recipe which will pair perfectly.

Baked lamb on a bed of white and yellow rice with roasted potatoes and toasted whole almonds and a sprinkling of parsley with the lamb being shredded with a hand holding a fork on a blue and white tiled background with yellow rimmed plates in the corner.

Other Lamb Recipes You Will Enjoy

Lamb shank with broth, pieces of carrot and wedges of potato on a white blue rimmed plate with a green glass of water a small white plate with fresh thyme, a sage green tea towel on a mottled green background with a wooden ended knife and a metal fork at the side.

Oven Braised Lamb Shanks (Fall Apart)
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Lamb kabsa served on a white platter with a silver spoon, surrounded by glasses of water and bowls of yogurt.

Fragrant Lamb Kabsa (Restaurant Style)
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A platter of Quzi-style cooked lamb shanks served over yellow rice with raisins, herbs, and nuts, accompanied by bowls of yogurt, tomato stew, chopped herbs, cutlery, and salt shakers nearby.

Quzi (Authentic Iraqi Lamb over Rice)
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Maqluba served in a platter garnished with almonds and parsley. Forks, water cups, a plate with almonds in it, and a bowl with cucumber and yogurt is on the right top side of the frame

Maqluba (Makloubeh) with Lamb (Arabic rice dish)
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If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!

Baked lamb on a bed of white and yellow rice with roasted potatoes and toasted whole almonds and a sprinkling of parsley with a wooden handled serving spoon on a blue tiled background with a white and black striped tea towel at the side, a small bowl with chopped parsley and yellow rimmed plates with utensils on top.
4.91 from 10 ratings

Lamb Haneeth (Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder)

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 4 hours
Total: 4 hours 20 minutes
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
Lamb Haneeth is a beloved Yemeni dish made with slow-roasted lamb marinated in an aromatic blend of spices. The tender, fall off the bone, meat is typically served with basmati rice.
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Ingredients
 

For the Lamb

  • 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoon cumin
  • 1½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1½ teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 5 teaspoons salt
  • 2½ kilogram lamb shoulder, bone in, fat trimmed, cleaned and washed

For the Vegetables

  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
  • 12 small potatoes, peeled, washed and halved (see notes)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 10 cardamom pods
  • 10 bay leaves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 7 cloves
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups water

For Serving

  • fresh pita bread
  • basmati rice, see notes for cooking method

Instructions
 

  • Note: If marinating overnight, you need to start this recipe the night before. If marinating for 4 hours, you need to start at 9 am for a 6 pm finish.
  • In a food processor blend together the onion, olive oil, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, coriander and salt until well blended and a thick paste forms.
  • To prepare the lamb shoulder, pat it dry with paper towel. If required, trim off any excess fat. Using a sharp knife, make deep slits (3-4 cm long) all over the shoulder. Massage the marinade into the shoulder, cover and refrigerate preferably overnight, or for at least 4 hours. You can skip marinating but the flavour is much better if you do marinate it longer.
  • The next day, remove the lamb shoulder 1 hour before baking. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
  • In a large dutch oven or a large baking dish (at least 7 cm deep), place the peeled garlic, potatoes, sliced onions, potatoes, salt, cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves and olive oil. Mix well. Place the marinated lamb shoulder on top of the vegetables and add the water on the bottom of the dish.
  • Cover the lamb well with parchment paper (it's okay if the paper touches the water/vegetables), then seal it with 2 layers of aluminum foil, securing all the edges tightly. Bake for 4 hours, until the lamb is tender and falls off the bone. Important: make sure you allow 5 hours for the bake time, as it may vary from 3 to 5 hours depending on your cut of lamb shoulder. Check on it a few hours in and add more water if the bottom of the tray is dry. Once tender, scoop some of the fat from the bottom of the tray and drizzle it over the lamb shoulder, then broil for 5 minutes or so until the top is browned nicely – keep an eye on it at all times.
  • Serve the lamb with a side of basmati rice (see notes) or warm fresh pita bread, or other vegetable sides or a salad.

Notes

  • Lamb Cooking Time: Cooking time may vary depending on the lamb cut and quality. Check for doneness after 3 hours but allow 4-5 hours of baking time, just in case you need more time.
  • To Serve with Rice: A delicious rice can be made with the lamb drippings. Simply scoop the drippings from the baking dish and add to a pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon of: cinnamon, clove, coriander, cardamom and turmeric (if you want yellow rice). Add 1 1/2 cups of liquid per cup of rice and bring the liquid to a boil. Add enough salt until the liquid tastes visibly salty, then add the basmati rice. Once the rice comes to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
  • Perfect Potatoes: I use small potatoes (not baby potatoes), peel them and cut in half. Smaller potatoes may overcook during the long bake time.
  • You can also serve with my Arabic rice or Mediterranean rice.
  • You can store your Lamb Haneeth leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
Serving: 1Serving, Calories: 659kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 46g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 18g, Cholesterol: 126mg, Sodium: 2050mg, Potassium: 1772mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 21IU, Vitamin C: 55mg, Calcium: 101mg, Iron: 7mg
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