Maftoul Couscous with Chicken and Chickpeas
Chickpeas and toasted maftoul stay tender but never mushy. Chicken thighs simmer with onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and allspice, then lemon and parsley at the end.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 80 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 300 g
- 600 g
- 400 g
- 3 tbsp
- 4 cloves
- 2 tsp
- 1 ½ tsp
- ½ tsp
- ½ tsp
- 700 ml
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp
- ½ tsp
- 20 g
- 30 g
Process
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Pat the chicken thighs dry and season all over with the salt and black pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the chicken skin-side down for 5–6 minutes until deep golden, then turn and brown 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
Lower the heat to medium, add the finely chopped onion to the same pot with 1 tbsp olive oil and cook for 6–8 minutes until soft and pale gold. Stir in the garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cinnamon and ground allspice and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the chicken broth, scraping up the browned bits. Return the chicken to the pot, bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the sliced onion for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until soft, sweet and caramelized. Set aside.
Lift the chicken out of the broth and set aside. Stir the chickpeas into the broth and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Taste the broth and adjust salt.
Stir the maftoul couscous into the simmering broth, cover and cook over low heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes, until the grains are tender but still chewy and have absorbed most of the liquid. Add a splash more broth if the pot looks dry before the grains are done.
Return the chicken to the pot, nestling it into the couscous, cover and steam over low heat for 5 minutes to heat through. Stir in the lemon juice.
Fluff the maftoul with a fork, then scatter over the caramelized onion, flat-leaf parsley and toasted almonds. Serve hot.
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- The most common mistake is treating maftoul like instant couscous: it is a steamed pasta-like grain and needs to simmer in liquid for 12-15 minutes. If it still tastes chalky, add 100 ml hot broth and cook 3 minutes more.
- Brown the chicken properly before adding liquid. Those stuck-on browned bits are the flavor base of the broth, so scrape them up when the broth goes in.
- Stir the maftoul every few minutes while it simmers so the grains release starch evenly and do not cement to the bottom of the pot.
- The dish thickens as it sits. If it looks stiff after resting, loosen with a few tablespoons of hot broth or water before serving.
Substitutions
- maftoul couscous→Israeli couscous or pearl couscous (same weight, same cooking time)
- chicken thighs→bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks or 500 g boneless thigh pieces
- chicken broth→vegetable broth for a lighter, poultry-free version
- toasted almonds→toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds
Storage & reheating
Cool leftovers within 2 hours and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; the couscous will absorb liquid, so keep a little extra broth alongside. Reheat in a covered saucepan over low heat with 2-3 tbsp water or broth, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until steaming, or microwave covered in 1-minute bursts. Freezing is not recommended because the couscous turns mushy on thawing.
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why did my maftoul couscous turn out sticky and clumped?
The grains were likely stirred too aggressively or cooked with too little liquid at too high a heat, which makes them release starch and fuse. Cook it at a gentle simmer, stir only every 4 minutes with a fork, and keep the liquid level just above the grains. Fluffing with a fork at the end separates any remaining clumps.
Can I use regular instant couscous instead of maftoul?
No, not in this method. Instant couscous is pre-steamed and needs only 5 minutes of soaking off the heat, so it would dissolve into the simmering broth. If that is all you have, cook the broth and chicken first, then pour the hot broth over the instant couscous in a bowl, cover for 5 minutes and fold in the chickpeas and chicken.
How do I know when the maftoul is fully cooked?
Bite a few grains: they should be tender with a slight chew in the center, like al dente pasta, and the broth should be mostly absorbed but not dry. If the center still tastes raw and chalky, add 100 ml hot broth, cover and simmer 3 more minutes. Overcooked maftoul goes soft and pasty, so start checking at the 12-minute mark.
Can I make this dish ahead of time?
You can cook the chicken and broth up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate them separately, then simmer the maftoul in the reheated broth just before serving. Assembling the whole dish ahead makes the couscous swell and lose its separate texture. If you must, cook it fully, cool quickly and reheat gently with extra broth.
Why is my dish dry after the couscous absorbed all the liquid?
Maftoul keeps drinking liquid as it sits, especially off the heat, so a dish that looks perfect in the pot can tighten up within minutes. Reserve 150 ml of the broth before adding the couscous and stir it back in at the end, or add hot water a few tablespoons at a time. Serving immediately after fluffing also helps.
Can I add vegetables to this maftoul?
Yes. Diced carrot, cubed pumpkin or quartered zucchini can go in with the chickpeas and simmer for 8-10 minutes until tender. If you add quick-cooking greens like spinach, stir them in during the last 2 minutes of steaming. Keep the total added vegetables to about 300 g so the couscous still has enough broth to cook in.
Is maftoul couscous gluten-free?
No. Maftoul is made from wheat flour, so it contains gluten and this dish is not suitable for a gluten-free diet. A gluten-free alternative would be to serve the chicken, chickpeas and broth over cooked quinoa or rice instead, adjusting the simmering time to the grain you choose.
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