Egyptian Molokhia with Chicken

This Egyptian molokhia with roasted chicken is a combination of minced molokhia soup, tender white rice, and roasted chicken. Molokhia is a thick green soup made with jute mallow leaves.

Egyptian Molokhia

Molokhia (aka mulukhiyah or mloukhieh) is a jute stew that's common in many Middle Eastern countries. Molokhia is known for its slimy consistency similar to okra.

This is THE RECIPE I think about when Egyptian food comes to mind. Probably the most popular dish made for dinner, and for good reason- it's delicious!

This recipe is made with frozen minced molokhia and homemade chicken broth and served with rice and roasted chicken. There are slight differences in how molokhia is made between countries, like this Lebanese molokhia recipe.

Ingredient Notes

Use frozen minced molokhia leaves. This is the easiest way to find molokhia in the U.S.

If you can find fresh molokhia, substitute it instead by following this Egyptian mulukhiyah from scratch recipe. You can also find molokhia dried in Arabic supermarkets, but it's not the preferred way for this Egyptian version.

In order to get the chicken broth the right taste, I recommend making it from scratch with a whole chicken. Molokhia just doesn't taste the same if you only use chicken breasts or store-bought broth in my opinion.

How To Make Egyptian Molokhia

Add the whole chicken, onion, bay leaves, salt, cardamom pods, and water to a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 90 minutes.

Separate the whole chicken from the chicken broth. Reserve the chicken broth for the molokhia stew.

Make the rice. Wash the rice in a bowl several times until the water runs clear. Melt 2 tablespoon butter, add rice to the butter, and stir. Add 2 cups of chicken broth (made in the step above) and 2 cups of water. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste. Bring the rice to a boil on high heat uncovered. Once the water is boiling, turn to medium heat uncovered. When the liquid is not visible on top of the rice, reduce to very low heat, and cover the rice (about 5 to 7 minutes). Remove the rice from the heat and keep covered.

Mince fresh garlic. Reserve about a quarter of the minced garlic to add directly into the jute stew. Fry the remaining minced garlic in butter (or ghee) until it starts to turn golden brown. Add salt and ground coriander, set aside.

Add the frozen molokhia and reserved fresh minced garlic to the chicken broth. Once the molokhia comes to a boil, mix in the fried garlic with ground coriander.

Roast the whole chicken as-is or split it into parts (as shown). Mix the tomato paste and lime together with some salt and pepper. Rub the tomato sauce on top of the chicken.

Roast the chicken in the oven at 425 ℉ (220 ℃) until the skin is brown and crispy.

Serve the molokhia on top of fluffy rice alongside the roasted chicken.

Recipe Tips

Homemade chicken broth: This recipe explains how to make chicken broth from scratch. The same chicken used to make the chicken broth is roasted with a tomato paste lime sauce later.

Tomato paste lime sauce: I don't know why, but this tip makes a big difference. Mix the tomato paste, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl separately prior to slathering it on the chicken. If you add the tomato paste, and then squeeze the lime on the chicken, it actually tastes a little different. Call me weird, but I swear it tastes different!

The ratio of broth to molokhia: Depending on your personal preference, you can add more or less chicken broth. If you like a thicker or thinner molokhia, you can adjust the broth ratio to achieve your desired consistency.

Sometimes, I'll make a double batch and have meals for 3-4 nights. If I plan on reheating this the next day, I will not roast all of the chicken. I'll save half of the chicken for the next day and roast it fresh.

Substitutions and Variations

• If you use fresh molokhia, here's a more in-depth post on how to make mulukhiyah from scratch.
• Buy a whole chicken already cut up from the store in lieu of a whole chicken.
• Roast the whole chicken as one piece or split it into smaller sections: thigh and leg, chicken breast, and wings.
• Add fresh chopped cilantro to the fried garlic at the end for something different!
• Serve with some pita bread and lemon wedges.

📋 Recipe

Egyptian Molokhia with Chicken

Author: Lily Guidry

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Egyptian

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 2 hours hrs

Total: 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

5 from 13 votes

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Servings 8

This Egyptian molokhia with roasted chicken is made from scratch using a homemade chicken broth, frozen minced molokhia, and finely minced garlic.

Ingredients

 

US Customary - Metric

• 1¾ lbs frozen or fresh molokhia 800 grams, see notes
• 3 lbs whole chicken
• 1 onion
• 4 cups uncooked Calrose rice
• 3 bay leaves
• 8 cardamom pods
• 3 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 lime
• 1½ heads of garlic about 20 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoon butter or ghee
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 10 cups water

Instructions

Homemade Chicken Broth

• In a large pot add the whole chicken, cardamom, bay leaves, salt, pepper and water. I start with 2 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper to start.
• Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 90 minutes. Separate the chicken from the broth. Check the salt and adjust to your preference.

Egyptian Rice

• Wash the rice several times with water until the water runs clear. In a separate pot, add about 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the rice and stir until the rice grains are coated with butter. For every one cup of uncooked calrose rice, add one cup of liquid (chicken broth, water, or a mixture of both).
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring the rice to a boil on high heat uncovered. Once the water is boiling, turn to medium heat uncovered. Once the liquid is not visible on top of the rice, reduce to very low, and cover the rice (about 5 to 7 minutes). Remove the rice from the stovetop and keep covered.

Roasted Chicken

• You can roast the chicken whole or cut it into pieces (easier to serve). Set the oven to broil.
• Place boiled chicken into a baking pan. In a separate bowl, mix the tomato paste, lime juice, salt, and pepper together. Rub the chicken with tomato paste lime sauce.
• Put the chicken in the oven on the top rack for about 3 to 5 minutes until the top of the chicken is crispy.

Minced Molokhia

• Mince fresh garlic. Set aside a quarter of the fresh garlic (to add to the broth).
• In a nonstick skillet, add butter. Once butter is melted, add the remaining minced garlic. Add salt and ground coriander to the garlic. Fry the garlic in butter or ghee until dark golden brown. Set aside.
• In another pot, add about 4 cups of the chicken broth to a stovetop pot. Add 800 grams of fresh or frozen minced molokhia and the minced fresh garlic (about ¼ of the original garlic). Bring the molokhia to a boil stirring continuously. Check the consistency and add 1 to 2 more cups of broth to reach desired consistency. See notes.
• Let the molokhia boil for about 1 minute. If using fresh molokhia, boil for about 3 minutes. Add the fried garlic to the molokhia. Serve with rice.

Equipment

Baking Sheet

Frying Pan

Cuisinart Cook Set

Chef's Knife

Knife Sharpener

Magnetic Knife Block

Notes

1. If you would like a more in-depth version of cooking molokhia with fresh molokhia leaves, read this Egyptian mulukhiyah from scratch recipe.
2. Depending on how thick or thin you want your molokhia to be, you can adjust the amount of molokhia added. For every 400 grams of frozen minced molokhia, I use about 2 cups of chicken broth. 
3. Depending on the brand of frozen molokhia, you may need to adjust the broth amount in order to reach your desired consistency.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 cups | Calories: 562 kcal | Carbohydrates: 56 g | Protein: 28 g | Fat: 23 g | Saturated Fat: 8 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Cholesterol: 115 mg | Sodium: 175 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 1 g

dietary categoryDietary Categories: Mediterranean Diet