Maftoul, Palestinian Couscous, is a hearty delicious dish with two components. The maftoul itself, you can think of it as a grain. The second component is the flavorful chicken stew filled with chickpeas, onions, and spices served on top of the maftoul.
This delicious dish with warm spices and a satisfying texture is my family's favorite winter meal, the soupy warm stew is a perfect dish to serve at a gathering on a cold winter day.
While making fresh traditional maftoul is a long intensive process, I'm using a good quality Palestinian dried maftoul. Dried maftoul can be found at many Middle Eastern grocery stores.
Making the stew is very easy, yet a delicious and elaborate meal that you can enjoy with family and friends.
For more traditional Palestinian recipes check out my chicken musakhan, makloubeh, mansaf, and many other main dishes.
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What is Maftoul?
Traditionally, maftoul, or "Palestinian couscous," is made from hand-rolled bulgur wheat, water, whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour.
The traditional way of preparing maftoul involves several steps, including the labor-intensive task of hand-rolling the grains, which are then steamed before serving.
The word maftoul مفتول comes from the Arabic word “fa-ta-la”, which means “to twist” or “to turn”. Refers to the process of how maftoul is made.
Maftoul is traditionally cooked and served with a chicken chickpeas stew and onions sautéed in clarified butter to add flavor. Some spices are also added to give depth and complexity to this simple dish.
It’s known that couscous originated in North Africa, countries of Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Morocco. The process and ingredients of making couscous itself differ, including the stew served with couscous. For instance, Tunisian couscous which is called kousksi includes a variety of vegetables cooked with the stew, such as carrots and potatoes.
Within the Palestinian cuisine, there are also differences in the stew making, in the southern part of the West Bank where this dish is called marma’oon the stew base includes tomato sauce mixed with vegetables.
Some also call this dish mughrabiyeh referring to the name of the country Maghreb (Morocco), where it originated from.
Equipment
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Large pot or Dutch oven - To cook chicken and make broth
Small Pot - For cooking maftoul
Ingredients
- Maftoul - I'm using a dried package, which can be found at any Middle Eastern grocery store. The pearls are small and wheat colored rather than tiny pasta pearls.
- Whole Chicken - Ask the butcher to cut chicken into 4-6 pieces.
- Garbanzo Beans or chickpeas - You can use canned chickpeas.
- Sweet Onions - Onions add a nice flavor to this dish, and sweet onions have a mild taste that compliments other ingredients of this dish.
- Turmeric - Add a nice yellow color to this dish and an additional flavor.
- Spices (allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon powder) - For flavoring the chicken, nutmeg, and cinnamon are also used to flavor maftoul once cooked.
- Sea Salt - I like to use sea salt.
- Butter - Gives maftoul a rich flavor.
- Olive Oil - Used for sauteing the chicken.
- Cardamom Pods, Bay Leaves, and Cinnamon Stick - The spices mixed with the chicken broth provide a flavorful taste.
Instructions
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1 | Remove skin from chicken and rub the chicken with spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice). In a large pot and over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Place chicken, and brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
Step 2 | Cover with water until submerged, add bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods over water. Once it starts boiling lower it to medium heat, cover and let it cook.
Step 3 | Slice onions into wedges.
Step 4 | In a separate pot, heat butter and saute onions for 5-7 minutes.
Step 5 | Add sauteed onions, and chickpeas, over chicken broth.
Step 6 | Then add salt and turmeric, mix everything well together, and continue cooking on low heat for another 20 minutes and until chicken is tender. Adjust spices and salt if needed.
Step 7 | Make maftoul separately by following package instructions. After maftoul is cooked, add butter, nutmeg, and cinnamon over maftoul and integrate it all together.
Variation and Substitution
- You can make maftoul stew with beef or lamb chunks instead of chicken, keep in mind that lamb takes longer to cook.
- You can cook dried maftoul with chicken stock instead of water.
- You can keep chicken skin on if that's your preference.
- A traditional way I grew up eating maftoul is by adding sugar and cinnamon over maftoul mixing well and enjoy as a dessert after the meal.
- You can use clarified butter by sauteing the onions instead of regular butter.
Storage and Reheating
- You can store maftoul and the stew separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- You can freeze cooked maftoul and stew stored separately in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To heat stew, pour into a pot, cover, turn the heat on low, and let it heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Heat maftoul separately in a skillet with a few drops of water, cover, and let it heat on very low heat for 10 minutes. Or you can heat them in the microwave.
Expert Tips
- Think of maftoul as rice, pour the maftoul topped off with the chicken stew just before serving.
- You can make maftoul sauce slightly thicker by adding cornstarch. This step can be at the very end. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with ½ cup of cold water (keep in mind that cornstarch won't dissolve if mixed in hot water), whisk well then pour over the chicken stew, and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes.
- Sauteing the onions before adding them to the chicken and broth gives them an extra flavor, the onions do not need to be fully cooked since they still be cooking with the stew.
- Use canned chickpeas, and if using dried they should be previously cooked before adding them to the stew.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you can use chicken legs chicken breast, or boneless chicken.
Yes, you can follow the same instructions, skip cooking the chicken, start sauteeing the onions, and use vegetable stock instead, add the same species used with the chicken to the vegetable broth, add the chickpeas, and let it simmer until all is integrated. Use plant-based butter.
Maftoul is also known as moghrabiyeh in Lebanon and Syria because the recipe was adapted from Moroccan couscous, which is why maftoul is also known as Palestinian couscous. Instead of the semolina and durum used in couscous, maftoul uses bulgur and wheat flour.
Look for a Palestinian brand, which can be found at a Middle Eastern grocery store. The pearls are small and wheat colored rather than tiny pasta pearls.
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More Delicious Recipes
Maftoul (Palestinian Couscous)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Palestinian
- Diet: Halal
Description
Maftoul, Palestinian Couscous, is a hearty delicious dish with two components. The maftoul itself, you can think of it as a grain. The second component is the flavorful chicken stew filled with chickpeas, onions, and spices served on top of the maftoul.
Ingredients
- 1 bag of maftoul (follow bag instructions, or follow instructions below)
- 1 chicken cut into 4-6
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (divide in half, for spicing chicken and with cooked maftoul)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (divide in half, for spicing chicken and with cooked maftoul)
- 4 -6 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2-3 sweet onions
- 1.5 tablespoons butter (half a tablespoon used for sauteing onions)
- 1-2 teaspoons of sea salt (adjust to taste).
Instructions
- Remove skin from chicken and rub the chicken with spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice).
- In a large pot and over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.
- Place chicken over oil, and brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Cover the chicken with water until submerged, add bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods over water.
- Once it starts boiling lower it to medium heat, cover and let it cook.
- While chicken is boiling lift up the cover and with a large spoon remove any foam that gathers on top of the water. Repeat this process if necessary.
- Meanwhile, slice onions into wedges.
- In a separate pot, heat oil or butter and saute onions for 2-4 minutes. (onions do not need to be fully cooked as they’ll be cooking with the chicken and broth).
- Let the chicken cook for 20 minutes then add sauteed onions, and chickpeas, over chicken broth.
- Then add salt and turmeric, mix everything well together, and continue cooking on low heat for another 20 minutes and until chicken is fully tender.
- Adjust spices and salt as needed.
- Make maftoul separately by following package instructions.
- After maftoul is cooked, add butter, nutmeg, and cinnamon over maftoul and integrate it all together.
- Serve hot in a plate by pouring cooked maftoul first then the stew over it.
Cooking Dried Maftoul
- Wash and rinse maftoul.
- To provent maftoul from sticking add 1 teaspoon of oil at the bottom of the pot.
- Add maftoul and saute for 1 minute.
- Pour hot water over maftoul: 1 and ⅓ cups of boiled water per 1 cup of dried maftoul.
- Once it starts boiling, lower the heat and cover.
- Let it cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Once ready, fluff with a fork, add butter, cinnamon and nutmeg powder and mix well.
Notes
- Think of maftoul as rice, pour the maftoul topped off with the chicken stew just before serving.
- You can make maftoul sauce slightly thicker by adding cornstarch. This step can be at the very end. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with ½ cup of cold water (keep in mind that cornstarch won't dissolve if mixed in hot water), whisk well then pour over the chicken stew, and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes.
- Sauteing the onions before adding them to the chicken and broth gives them an extra flavor, the onions do not need to be fully cooked since they still be cooking with the stew.
- Use canned chickpeas, and if using dried they should be previously cooked before adding them to the stew.
- You can make maftoul with lamb instead of chicken.
Elana Golden says
Wafa! This looks so delicious, I will make it without the chicken. Thank you!
Wafa Shami says
Great, Let me know how it'll turn out, I hope you'll like it.
Tony Litwinko says
Wafa, these recipes are excellent. You really have a hit on your hands. I have referred a number of my friends and family to it already. All the best--
Tony
Wafa Shami says
Great to hear Tony, thanks so much for all the support
Tamy says
I'm so glad I found your recipe, that's exactly how I grew up eating it. Looks delicious and I'm definitely going to make it.
Wafa Shami says
Hi Tamy, glad to hear that. Let me know how it'll turn out.
Amber says
This is my children's favorite dish that my mom makes! However, we call it Moghrabiye though. I have never heard of it called Maftoul so it's fascinating the different names that our dishes have based on region one lives. My family is from Nazareth.
Wafa Shami says
Hello Amber, thank you for the review. Yes, I’m aware it’s called Moghrabiye in Nazareth—I actually mentioned the reason behind that name in my post. In Bethlehem, it’s known as Marma'oun. Yes it’s fascinating how the same dish has so many different names! 🙂