Maghrebiya Lebanese Moghrabieh
Chewy pearl couscous simmered in a fragrant chicken broth with caramelized onions, sweet pearl onions, chickpeas, and warm caraway and cinnamon. A comforting one-pot Lebanese family dinner.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 10 min
- Wait
- 5 min
- Total
- 1 hr 40 min
- Makes
- 6 generous servings (about 8 cups total)
Steps
Before you start
- Buy moghrabieh (large Lebanese pearl couscous, about 5 mm), not Israeli couscous or tiny Moroccan couscous. Cooking times differ.
- If using frozen pearl onions, thaw and pat them very dry so they brown instead of steaming.
- You need two pots: a 4-5 quart pot for poaching the chicken and a wide 6-quart heavy pot with a lid for the stew. Everything is cooked on the stovetop; no oven is needed.
- Ground caraway is the signature flavor. Grind whole seeds in a spice grinder if you can; it's much more aromatic.
Prep the onions
- If using fresh pearl onions, boil them in water for 2 minutes, drain, cool under cold water, trim the root ends, and slip off the skins.
- Pat peeled (or thawed) pearl onions very dry with a towel.
- Halve and thinly slice the 2 large yellow onions into half-moons.
- Quarter the broth onion.
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Ready when: Pearl onions are peeled and dry; sliced onions are in even ¼-inch half-moons.
Tip: Dry pearl onions brown; wet ones steam and stay pale.
Poach the chicken
- In the 4-5 quart pot, combine the chicken, quartered onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, 1 tsp of the salt, and 8 cups (1.9 L) water.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off the gray foam.
- Reduce to a gentle simmer, partially cover, and cook 30 minutes.
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Ready when: Chicken reaches at least 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part, away from the bone, and the meat is tender.
Tip: Keep the simmer gentle; hard boiling makes the broth cloudy and the chicken stringy.
Strain the broth
- Lift the chicken onto a plate.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or bowl; discard the onion, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves.
- Skim off excess fat.
- You need 4 cups (950 ml) of broth; keep any extra nearby.
- Pull the skin off the chicken and discard it, then cover the chicken loosely with foil.
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Ready when: You have at least 4 cups (950 ml) of clear, skimmed broth.
Tip: If you have under 4 cups, top up with hot water.
Brown the pearl onions
- Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in the 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Add the pearl onions in a single layer and cook, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes.
- Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
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Ready when: Onions are deep golden brown in spots and just starting to soften.
Tip: Don't crowd the pot; cook in two batches if needed.
Caramelize and spice onions
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil and the sliced onions to the same pot, scraping up the browned bits.
- Cook, stirring often, about 12 minutes.
- Stir in the caraway, ground cinnamon, allspice, and pepper and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
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Ready when: Onions are soft, golden brown, and the spices smell toasty.
Tip: If onions start to scorch, add a splash of broth and lower the heat.
Toast the couscous
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and the moghrabieh to the pot.
- Stir constantly for about 3 minutes to coat each pearl in the onion-spice mixture and lightly toast it.
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Ready when: Pearls look glossy, smell nutty, and a few turn pale golden.
Tip: Keep stirring; the pearls can brown unevenly on the pot's bottom.
Simmer the stew
- Pour in the 4 cups (950 ml) strained broth.
- Add the chickpeas, browned pearl onions, and remaining 1½ tsp salt.
- Stir, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer 13 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent sticking.
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Ready when: Most of the broth is absorbed and the pearls are plump but still slightly firm in the center.
Tip: If the pot looks dry before the time is up, add ¼ cup (60 ml) hot broth.
Add chicken and finish
- Pull the chicken from the bones in large pieces if you like, or leave it whole.
- Nestle the chicken into the moghrabieh, spoon some of the stew over it, cover, and cook on low 5 more minutes to rewarm the chicken and finish the couscous.
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Ready when: Pearls are tender and chewy with no hard center, the stew is moist and creamy, and the chicken is steaming hot.
Tip: The stew should be moist, not soupy. If too wet, cook uncovered for 2 minutes.
Rest and serve
- Turn off the heat and let the pot stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
- Fluff gently with a fork, sprinkle with parsley, and serve straight from the pot with the chicken on top.
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Ready when: Pearls are separate and glossy and the sauce clings lightly.
Tip: Stir gently to avoid breaking up the pearl onions.
Good to know
Tips
- Use the chicken poaching broth, not store-bought stock, for the best flavor; it's the backbone of the dish.
- Don't skip browning the pearl onions; they add sweetness and color.
- Stir the couscous gently and sparingly while simmering so the pearls stay separate rather than gummy.
- Taste for salt at the end; the amount of salt in your broth and chickpeas varies.
Make ahead
Poach the chicken and strain the broth up to 2 days ahead; refrigerate the chicken and broth separately. Caramelize the onions up to 2 days ahead too. Finish the couscous just before serving, since it's best fresh.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Refrigerator: airtight container up to 4 days. Freezer: up to 2 months (the couscous softens a bit). Reheat covered in a pot over low heat with a splash of water or broth, stirring occasionally, until steaming hot (165°F / 74°C), or microwave in 1-minute bursts.
Substitutions
- moghrabieh (large Lebanese pearl couscous) → Israeli (pearl) couscous. Smaller and cooks faster; reduce simmer time to about 8-10 minutes and check for tenderness.
- ground caraway → Ground fennel seed plus a pinch of anise. Gets near the licorice-like warmth, though not the same flavor.
- pearl onions → Small shallots, halved. Brown them the same way; they're a bit sharper before cooking, but sweeten in the stew.
- bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks → Bone-in lamb shoulder pieces. Simmer 1½-2 hours until tender before straining the broth.