Maftoul (Palestinian Couscous)
Maftoul, sometimes written as maftool, is a Palestinian grain dish that's similar to Moroccan couscous. Cooked here with several aromatic spices, chicken, and chickpeas, it's a traditional Levantine meal that's ready in less than an hour.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 tsp Cumin (- ground)
- 1 tsp Coriander seed (- ground)
- 1 tsp Fennel seed (- ground)
- 1 tsp Cinnamon (- ground)
- 1 Chicken (- Cut into quarters or eights)
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 Onions (- Cut into wedges)
- 1 ½ cups Maftoul (- Pearl couscous (see substitution notes))
- 2 ¼ cups Chicken Broth
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 4 Garlic cloves (- Minced)
- 1 can Chickpeas (- Drained and rinsed )
- Parsley and Lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- 1
Spice Mix. Prepare the spice mix by combining all the individual spices in a small bowl.
- 2
Bake Chicken. Preheat your oven to 375F. Rub the chicken pieces with olive oil and season with 1/2 of the spice mixture, salt and pepper. Place the seasoned chicken pieces on a rimmed baking sheet or in a braiser with the onion wedges. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked. You can broil it for a few minutes at the end of cooking to get it to crip up if you wish.
- 3
Boil Maftoul. While the chicken is baking, boil the maftoul per package directions. If there are no directions, in a medium-sized pot with lid, place the maftoul, 2 ¼ cups chicken broth, and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer, and cook covered for 30 minutes. You'll know the maftoul is cooked when it's soft. It's ok if there's a little liquid left in the pot.
- 4
Prepare Chickpeas. In a large frying pan set on medium-low heat, add the butter and fry the garlic and the remaining 1/2 of the spice mixture, 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the chickpeas, a ½ tsp of salt and ½ cup of chicken broth. Stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes to warm through.
- 5
Assemble. Combine the cooked maftoul with the chickpea mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning. This mixture should not be soupy, nor should it be dry. If needed add a splash of water or broth to make sure it doesn't clump.
- 6
Serve. Serve the roasted chicken and charred onions over the chickpea and maftoul mixture. I like to use the same braiser I used to cook the chicken so all the wonderful bits and juices don't go to waste. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.