Chicken Couscous with Tfaya
Photo: Othman Alghanmi / Unsplash
A Moroccan celebration couscous: fluffy steamed semolina crowned with saffron-and-ginger chicken and tfaya — onions slowly caramelised with raisins, honey and cinnamon — finished with toasted almonds.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Cook the chicken
In a large pot, mix the chicken with the oil, grated onion, ginger, turmeric, pepper, saffron and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning. Add the herb bundle and water. Cover and let it bubble gently for about 35 minutes, until tender.
Make the sweet onions (tfaya)
At the same time, put the sliced onions, butter and a ladle of the chicken broth in a pan. Cover and cook until the onions are very soft. Take off the lid. Add the drained raisins, honey and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until thick, sticky and dark golden, like jam.
Prepare the couscous
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Boil down the broth
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Assemble
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Serve
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Cook the chicken
In a large pot, mix the chicken with the oil, grated onion, ginger, turmeric, pepper, saffron and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning. Add the herb bundle and water. Cover and let it bubble gently for about 35 minutes, until tender.
Make the sweet onions (tfaya)
At the same time, put the sliced onions, butter and a ladle of the chicken broth in a pan. Cover and cook until the onions are very soft. Take off the lid. Add the drained raisins, honey and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until thick, sticky and dark golden, like jam.
Prepare the couscous
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Boil down the broth
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Assemble
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Couscous has been the staple of North Africa's Amazigh (Berber) peoples for at least a thousand years, steamed in a two-tiered pot called a couscoussier. In Morocco it is traditionally the Friday family meal, after midday prayers.
Tfaya — the sweet onion and raisin topping — reflects the refined, sweet-and-savoury cooking of the imperial city of Fez, and turns everyday couscous into a dish for weddings and feasts.
⭐ Why It's Famous
In 2020 UNESCO recognised the knowledge and practices around couscous, shared by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania, as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
💡 Fun Fact
In Morocco couscous is eaten from one shared platter, each person working from their own "corner" towards the centre.
Morocco (Fez and the imperial cities)
34.02°N, -5.01°W
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