Palestinian maftoul with chicken and chickpeas
Maftoul is one of the landmarks of Palestinian cuisine.
Bulgur grains hand-rolled and coated with flour then steamed over chicken broth and served with chickpeas, pearl onions and squash. The dish of weddings, feasts and Ramadan tables, and its name comes from the manual 'rolling' (fatl) that women pass down.
In a wide pot, saute the chopped onion in half the oil until golden, add the chicken pieces and brown them a little, then cover with water along with the bay leaf, cardamom, half the spices and salt. It boils and we skim its foam, then it simmers for forty-five minutes until the chicken is done and a golden broth clears, which is the coming soul of the maftoul.
Remove the chicken and add to the broth the whole pearl onions, the squash cubes and the cooked chickpeas, and let them cook for twenty minutes until the onions soften and sweeten. This trio is the traditional accompaniment of maftoul in the households of Palestine.
The original is to steam it over the broth's steam like couscous; and the faster home route: saute the maftoul in the rest of the oil for two minutes, cover it with ladles of hot broth two fingers above it, and cover it over low heat for a quarter of an hour until it absorbs it and swells into separate coarse grains that we fluff with a fork.
Brush the boiled chicken pieces with a little oil and spices and put them in a hot oven or under the broiler for ten minutes until their skin blushes. Hospitality maftoul does not serve its chicken pale.
Spread the maftoul into a mound in a wide dish, ladle over it the chickpeas, pearl onions and squash with their broth, arrange the browned chicken pieces over the peak, and serve beside it a jug of hot broth from which each adds to their liking. The scene of the Palestinian table in the heart of Ramadan.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Palestinian Maftoul with Chicken and Chickpeas, and how to fix them:
It was boiled in abundant water or its broth was excessive. The sauteing first then broth two fingers only above its surface and low covered heat, and the fork fluffs it at the end.
Stingy broth or haste. Add it a ladle of hot broth and cover it for an extra five minutes until its grain softens.
They cooked too long or were cut. They go in whole and peeled at their measured time. Twenty minutes softens them and keeps them cohesive.
We distributed it lavishly too early. A generous liter and a half from the start, and the side jug is filled before distributing the rest.
A hot mound with its broth steam rising.
Three days with its components gathered. Reheated with a ladle of broth over low heat and it returns to its fluffiness.
The steamed maftoul and the broth for two months separately, and the dish is assembled fresh after thawing.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palestinian maftoul | Coarse-grain Moroccan couscous | 1:1 | The closest in its absence. With a finer grain |
| Whole chicken | Lamb pieces | 800 g | Meat maftoul is the master of weddings. Its broth takes an extra half hour |
| Butternut squash | Carrots in large pieces | 1:1 | A close vegetable sweetness out of squash season |
| Olive oil | Country ghee | 1:1 | A deeper rustic warmth to the taste of old households |
| Ingredient | 6 servings | 3 servings | 12 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maftoul | 400 g | 200 g | 800 g |
| Chicken | 1 kg | 500 g | 2 kg |
| Chickpeas | 200 g | 100 g | 400 g |
Never boil the maftoul like pasta. It is steamed with the broth or over its steam like couscous: a measured sip of broth, a lid and low heat, so it comes out fluffy grain, not porridge.
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