Maftoul (Palestinian Couscous)

chicken and pearl couscous in a platter.

5 from 16 votes

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 Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Levantine, Middle Eastern

Servings: people

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $20

Ingredients

Spice Blend

1 tsp Cumin - ground
1 tsp Coriander seed - ground
1 tsp Fennel seed - ground
1 tsp Cinnamon - ground

Chicken

1 Chicken - Cut into quarters or eights
2 tbsp Olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 Onions - Cut into wedges

Maftoul

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

Spice Mix. Prepare the spice mix by combining all the individual spices in a small bowl.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Notes

See the blog post above for step-by-step recipe photos.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:

- Maftoul: it can be ordered online and found in most Middle Eastern grocers. Substitute pearl couscous, "moghrabieh" or fregola (Sardinian couscous) if you can't find it.

- Spices: caraway is traditionally used, but as it's uncommon in North American, it's been replaced with the more common cumin and fennel for this recipe. If you have caraway seeds, add some to the spice blend.

- Chicken: if you're not comfortable cutting a whole chicken yourself, either ask the butcher for help when you buy it, or use thighs instead and adjust the cooking time as needed.

- Butter: replace with olive oil if preferred.

Nutrition