Royal couscous is the undisputed king of Maghrebi tables, a generous and flavorful dish where fluffy semolina meets an aromatic broth and tender meats. This complete feast combines chicken, merguez sausage, and chickpeas in a symphony of spices and Mediterranean flavors that will delight your guests.
⏱️120 min
📊Medium
👥6 servings
🍽️Main
familyfestive
Ingredients
400 gcouscous semolina
1.2 kgfarm chicken
6 piècesfresh merguez sausages
250 gdried chickpeas
3 piècesturnips
4 piècescarrots
2 pièceszucchini
2 piècesyellow onions
400 gcanned crushed tomatoes
1.5 Lchicken broth
2 cuillères à caféras el hanout
1 cuillère à caféturmeric
1 cuillère à soupefresh grated ginger
3 cuillères à soupeolive oil
1 cuillère à soupeharissa
au goûtsalt and pepper
Instructions
1PREPARING THE CHICKPEAS: Pour the dried chickpeas into a large bowl and cover them with cold water. Let them soak overnight, or at least 8 hours, until they swell perfectly and become tender during cooking. This step is essential for ensuring a fluffy texture. The next day, drain them completely before use.
2PREPARING AND COOKING THE MEAT: Cut the chicken into regular pieces (thighs, breasts, wings). Heat the olive oil in a tagine or large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them regularly until they are well browned on all sides. Salt and pepper generously. Then add the whole merguez sausages and let them brown for 5 minutes.
3CREATING THE AROMATIC BASE: Finely slice the yellow onions and add them to the meat. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until they become translucent and begin to caramelize slightly. Stir in the fresh grated ginger, ras el hanout, turmeric, and harissa. Mix well to coat all the meat with these wonderful spices, and cook for 2 minutes to release all the aromas.
4ADDING BROTH AND VEGETABLES: Pour the hot chicken broth into the tagine, add the crushed tomatoes and drained chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer covered for 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the vegetables: peel and cut the turnips into quarters, cut the carrots into regular sticks of 5 to 6 cm, and cut the zucchini into thick slices about 1.5 cm thick.
5ADDING THE VEGETABLES: After 30 minutes of cooking, add all the prepared vegetables to the simmering broth. The harder carrots and turnips should be added first for even cooking. Cover the tagine and let simmer for another 25 to 30 minutes over medium heat, until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork but still slightly firm. The chicken should be tender and fall apart slightly when pierced with a fork, a sign that it is perfectly cooked.
6PREPARING THE SEMOLINA: While the mixture cooks, pour the couscous semolina into a large bowl. Drizzle it with 250 ml of warm lightly salted water and quickly mix with a fork to moisten each grain well. Let rest for 5 minutes to allow the semolina to absorb the water completely. Use a fork to gently break up the semolina and fluff the grains so they remain well separated and fluffy.
7FINISHING AND PRESENTATION: Pour the fluffed semolina into a couscous steamer or sieve, then place it above the simmering broth for 10 minutes, without direct contact with the liquid, so the semolina is infused with steam. In the meantime, carefully remove the meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon and arrange them elegantly on a large serving platter. Mound the hot semolina in the center, then generously drizzle with some of the spiced broth to keep it fluffy. Serve immediately with the remaining broth in a gravy boat, allowing each guest to adjust to their preference.