Enjoy this hearty Lebanese Moghrabieh recipe that will fill your belly and warm you up all winter long. Similar to a chicken and dumplings dish with Mediterranean spices and flavors.
One of the best meals to make during the cold months is this delicious Moghrabieh recipe. This is one my mom learned how to make, among many others, from my Lebanese grandmother.
Similar to my late mother-in-law's hearty chicken pot pie recipe, this one is also a hearty soup-like stew made with chicken and dough. However, the dough in this recipe is a specific ingredient called Moghrabieh and the seasonings are Middle Eastern flavors.
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What is Moghrabieh?
Moghrabieh is the name of a Lebanese dough ball (shown above) sometimes referred to as Lebanese couscous and it's also the name of this tasty chicken stew. The dough balls have a similar texture to pasta and taste similar to couscous.
How to Make Moghrabieh
Sauté sliced onions and traditional spices such as ground cinnamon, caraway, and paprika.
Next, you brown chicken pieces. You need to use bone-in skin-on chicken.
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Then you remove the chicken to cool and add broth to the onion mixture.
Meanwhile, you also are cooking the Moghrabieh balls in a separate pot just like pasta.
Once the chicken has cooled remove the meat from the skin and bones and return it to the broth and add in a can of chickpeas.
Serve it by placing some of the dough balls in a bowl and ladle some of the chicken and broth mixture over top.
Alternatives and Substitutions
- I like to pick the chicken meat and add it back to the broth but traditionally the chicken pieces including breasts and legs are served on the side and you add it to your bowl.
- You could use rotisserie chicken in a pinch. I do think you will lose a little of the flavor but it would still be good.
- Moghrabieh can be found in Middle Eastern markets and you can buy moghrabieh online. However, you can also substitute Israeli pearl couscous if you can find it. I see pearl couscous in my grocery store all the time.
- Many people use additional spices such as allspice, coriander, cumin, and cloves. You can experiment to see what spices you prefer.
The moghrabieh balls remind me of gnocchi as they are dense and really fill you up. The entire dish is really fragrant and warm. Perfect for the wintertime but you might want to make it all year long.
Moghrabieh Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs - bone in and skin on approx. 1 pound
- 2 cups of Moghrabieh balls
- 1-2 large onions sliced yellow or white
- 1 can of chickpeas drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon caraway seeds or ground caraway
- 1 quart of chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Saute sliced onions in olive oil in a large deep skillet.
- Add caraway, cinnamon, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Add chicken skin side down and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Remove chicken to a plate to cool.
- Meanwhile, boil moghrabieh balls in salted water for about 20 minutes or until tender similar to spaghetti. Drain.
- Next, add chicken broth to the pan and scrape up all the brown bits from the spices and chicken.
- Add chickpeas to the pan.
- Pull apart chicken meat and add to the pan. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes to cook through.
- Serve by scooping some of the cooked moghrabieh into a bowl and then ladle some of the broth and chicken mixture over top
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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