Maftoul (Palestinian Couscous)

5 from 3 votes

Master authentic Palestinian maftoul with this easy recipe. Your guide to perfecting this traditional Palestinian couscous dish.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: dinner, entree, lunch

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Servings: Servings

Calories: 846kcal

Season chicken with 7 spice or baharat spice mix, salt, and black pepper. Heat olive oil in an 7-quart Dutch oven, then sear chicken on all sides until golden brown. Work in batches, then set chicken aside.
In the same pot, sauté ½ of a medium diced onion until translucent, then add minced garlic, allspice berries, bay leaves, dill seeds, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick. Toast for 30 seconds, then add chicken and cover with 7 cups of hot water.
Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer (covered) over low heat for 30 minutes. Skim foam off the surface as needed. Remove chicken and set aside to cool, then strain broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, debone and shred into large chunks.

Clean the Dutch oven, then add olive oil and sauté the diced onion until translucent. Add carrots, serranos, and garlic; saute for a couple of minutes. Add shredded chicken and sauté for a few minutes longer.
Pour four cups of hot chicken broth into the pot, along with a can of drained chickpeas, 3 tablespoons tomato paste, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to dissolve tomato paste, then simmer soup over low heat for 15 minutes, covered.

Meanwhile, add butter and olive oil to a 4-quart Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until golden. Add maftoul and sauté for a few more minutes. Pour the remaining 3 cups of hot broth into the pot and stir in salt and tomato paste to dissolve. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, over low heat for 20 minutes. Fluff before serving.

Add 1⅓ cups of maftoul to a serving dish and ladle soup over it. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs (optional) and enjoy! Although this dish is pretty filling, a Middle Eastern salad can be served as a side along with Middle Eastern pita bread for sopping up the yummy juices.

I like to keep the chicken in pretty big chunks, but it can be shredded into smaller pieces if you prefer.
If you have less than 3 cups of broth remaining to cook the maftoul, due to evaporation, you can either add more water or some of the soup stock to make up the difference.
Buy authentic maftoul from a Middle Eastern grocery store. If possible, purchase a Palestinian brand. It's larger and coarser than Moroccan couscous and has a different texture from Israeli couscous.
Let the maftoul rest after cooking for about 10 minutes before fluffing it with a fork.
Try maftoul topped with toasted pine nuts or almonds, chopped parsley, and lemon wedges.