Lebanese Mloukhieh with Chicken

Name: Lebanese Mloukhieh with Chicken
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 2 h
Yield: 8-10
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

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roubashahin.com.au

Mains Lebanese Classics

Comfort food from Tripoli — dried mloukhieh leaves simmered with chicken and finished with a zesty onion salsa on top.

PREP TIME

40 minutes (plus 30 minutes soaking time)

COOK TIME

2 hours

SERVES

8-10

About this recipe

Mloukhieh with chicken is one of those dishes that takes me straight back to my mother’s kitchen in Tripoli, in the north of Lebanon. Mloukhieh itself is a leafy green, also known as jute leaves or Egyptian spinach, that cooks down into a thick, savoury stew — and in this dish, it’s simmered with chicken, garlic and coriander until it’s rich and deeply flavoured. This is how my mum has always made it — full of flavour, rich with pomegranate molasses, and finished with a squeeze of lemon that lifts the whole pot. What’s more, it’s the kind of recipe that fills the house with a smell you don’t forget.

This version uses dried mloukhieh leaves, which need a little care and patience before they go anywhere near the pot — but that time is well spent. As a result, you end up with a stew that’s deep, savoury and completely worth the wait. If you love slow-simmered Lebanese stews, you’ll also want to try my Osiyeh w Ruz, a coriander lamb stew that follows a similar comforting method, or my Bazella w Ruz, a lamb and pea stew that’s another one straight from home.

That said, this mloukhieh with chicken can also be made with fresh leaves when they’re in season — my mother-in-law makes hers that way, and I’m hoping to bring you that version too, down the track.

Ingredients

For the Chicken & Stock

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1⁄2 chickens, or 6 Marylands
Salt, to season
2 teaspoons bharat
1 stick celery, cut in half
1 carrot, cut into 3 chunks
1 onion, cut into wedges
3 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
5 peppercorns
1 parsley sprig
10 cups water, to cover

For the Mloukhieh

200 grams dried mloukhieh leaves
1 medium onion, diced
8 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons ghee
1 cup fresh coriander, chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
7–8 cups reserved chicken stock
1⁄4 cup lemon juice, plus extra for squeezing
4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
Salt, to season

For the Zesty Onion Salsa

1 brown onion, finely diced
1⁄2 red onion, finely diced
1 long red chilli, finely diced
salt to taste
1⁄2 cup lemon juice
1⁄4 cup olive oil

Notes from Rouba

The mloukhieh leaves will look slimy once you start washing them — that’s completely normal, not a sign they aren’t clean.
The water will run quite dark to begin with and will lighten as you rinse, but it won’t ever run fully clear — three good washes is enough.
Take the time to remove every stem and stick from the dried leaves, otherwise they catch in your mouth when you eat.
You can pick through the dry leaves a day or two ahead if that helps your schedule.
Portioning and cutting the leaves before cooking makes them much easier to add to the pot, and nicer to eat.
If your stock reduces more than you’d like, top it up with hot water — it won’t take away from the flavour.
Pomegranate molasses is traditional in this dish, but if you don’t have any, a little extra lemon juice will do the job.

Method

Step 1. Cook the Chicken

Season the chicken with salt and bharat, then fry in the olive oil until nice and brown. Add the celery, carrot, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and parsley, then top with the water and bring to the boil. Skim the scum from the top, turn the heat down and simmer on medium-low for about 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through and you have a lovely stock. Remove the chicken and shred into big pieces — don't shred it too small.

Step 2. Prepare the Mloukhieh Leaves

Spread the dried mloukhieh out on a big tray and pick through it well, removing every stem, stick and stone. Soak for 30 minutes, then rinse and wash 2–3 times until clean. Portion the washed leaves into around 6–8 round balls, squeezing the water out of each one, then cut every ball into quarters to make the leaves smaller and easier to eat.

Step 3. Build the Base

Dice the onion and crush the garlic, then sauté both in the ghee. Add the fresh and ground coriander and toss everything together well. Add the shredded chicken and toss through gently, being careful not to break it up — you want to keep those chicken pieces nice and big.

Step 4. Simmer the Mloukhieh

Add the prepared mloukhieh leaves and enough stock to just cover them, topping up with hot water if you run short. Stir in the lemon juice, leave the lid ajar (partially on) and simmer on low for about 45 minutes.

Step 5. Finish and Serve

Stir in the pomegranate molasses, season with salt and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the salsa ingredients, adjusting the oil and lemon to your taste. Serve the mloukhieh over vermicelli rice, topped with a spoonful of the onion salsa and an extra squeeze of lemon.

A FEW THINGS YOU'LL WANT TO KNOW

What is mloukhieh?
Mloukhieh is a leafy green, also known as jute leaves or Egyptian spinach, that's cooked down into a thick, savoury stew across Lebanon and the wider Middle East. In Lebanese cooking it's most often paired with chicken, simmered in stock with garlic, coriander and lemon. It can be cooked with dried leaves, like in this recipe, or with fresh leaves when they're in season.

Can I make this with fresh mloukhieh instead of dried?
Yes, though it's a different process — that's how my mother-in-law makes hers, and it needs the leaves to be in season. I'm hoping to share that version with you too.

Why does the mloukhieh look slimy when I wash it?
That's completely normal and doesn't mean it isn't clean — give it a good soak and 2–3 washes and you'll be fine.

What do I serve mloukhieh with?
Traditionally it's served over vermicelli rice. In Tripoli, we often eat it with bread, rice and mloukhieh all in one scoop. I like mine with a bit more stock and eaten with a spoon.

Do I have to use pomegranate molasses?
It's traditional in this dish, especially in Tripoli where we use it a lot, but if you skip it, add a little extra lemon juice instead.

Can I use lamb instead of chicken?
Yes, some people make mloukhieh with lamb, and I know of a few who even use both together. That said, chicken is the traditional way we make it in my family.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken?
Six Marylands works just as well as one and a half whole chickens. I've tried it with less chicken and it really needs that amount to work.

Is the onion salsa necessary?
It's optional — I learned it from my mother-in-law, and I've combined it with my mum's version because I love what it adds on top.