Entree: Iraq – Baghdad & Central Iraq – تشريب ➤ Tashrīb (Soaked bread stew)
Serving Size: 6
Approximate Time
Prep
20 min
Cook
48 min
Total
1 hr 8 min
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces, approx. 3 lb (1.4 kg)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced, about 10 oz (300 g)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped, about 10 oz (300 g)
- 2 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste
- 1 tsp (5 g) ground turmeric
- 1 tsp (2 g) ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp (1 g) ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp (1 g) ground black pepper
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups (1.4 L) chicken broth or water
- Salt to taste
- 4 pieces flatbread (pita/lavash), torn into pieces, about 10 oz (280 g)
- 1/2 cup (15 g) chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup (15 g) chopped fresh parsley
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges (optional)
Instructions
1. Step 1: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and brown them in batches until golden on all sides, about 6–8 minutes per batch; remove and set aside.
2. Step 2: In the same pot, add the sliced onions and cook until soft and starting to caramelize, about 8–10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.
3. Step 3: Stir in the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, cooking 3–4 minutes until the paste darkens slightly. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves and cook briefly to bloom the spices.
4. Step 4: Return the browned chicken to the pot, pour in the chicken broth (or water) to cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 30–40 minutes.
5. Step 5: Remove the chicken pieces to a bowl. If using bone-in, remove bones and shred the meat; return the shredded meat to the pot or reserve for serving. Taste the broth and adjust salt.
6. Step 6: Place torn flatbread pieces in shallow bowls. Ladle hot broth and chunky tomato-onion mixture over the bread so it soaks thoroughly. Top with shredded chicken, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and parsley, and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over each portion.
