Roasted baby wheat “freekeh” with chicken
August 26th, 2009Freekeh is the Arabic word for roasted baby wheat and it’s a great nutritious and filling ingredient to use.
You can make it two ways, with a lot of water and turn it into a stew, or with less water and make it more like rice.
Basically it all comes down to how much liquid you add.
For a really easy recipe try this:
Take 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them up into small chunks (or whatever size you like) and set aside.
Measure about 1 1/2 cups of freekeh into a bowl and rinse it a few times to make sure there are no rocks or burnt pieces of wheat.
Take out a large pot and saute some onions in a little oil. Add the freekeh and chicken and toss it around.
Immediately pour in 2-3 cups of broth or water. If you feel like it’s not soupy enough you can always add water later.
For spices we like to use salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic powder (about 1 teaspoon of each).
Let it boil on medium low for 20 minutes and then check on the liquid level. You can tell when it’s done by tasting the freekeh. If it’s not too soft and not too crunchy you’re good to go. But if you prefer it mushier add more liquid and cook it longer.
You’ll notice as it cooks it has a smokey smell and flavor, this is because the wheat has been roasted so don’t be alarmed.
When it’s done put it in a bowl or lay it out on a plate, let it cool a bit and dig in!
Tip: This is a great dish to eat in the winter or anytime you want something a little heavy in your belly to keep it from rumbling.

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Mmmm, getting really hungry!
Do you think I could try this with bulgar instead?
YOu could, but the freekeh has a wonderful smokey flavor. If you’ve never tried it you really should! It’s also good with lamb.
I’ve never tried it with lamb.. actually I don’t think I have ever cooked lamb lol.
As far as bulgar.. not sure how the texture would be, I’m imagining it would be more fluffy like couscous?
Yumm! Well, if you’re ever in Detroit metro, swing by and I’ll cook up some mensaf or whatever else you like with some lamb lol. I have a good kufta recipe I make…
http://www.recipezaar.com/palestinian-kufta-373769 (that’s me!)
The first time I tried freekeh was in Amman at dh’s uncle’s home. They brought a jidi (not to be confused with jidu lol!) from Syria and cooked it up with a huge pile of freekeh. It was love at first bite!
Good comfort food I call it!
We need a recipe section with all of these wonderful cooks we have! I’ll be sure to look over your recipe Kelly!