This Chicken Fatteh is my all-time favourite Palestinian-style dish. Layers of broth-soaked pita, shredded chicken, spiced rice, and yoghurt sauce, finished with fried nuts and parsley, make this the most comforting meal. It is what I make when I want everyone to pull up a chair and stay a while. If you love my fattet Hummus, this version takes it even further - more layers, more texture, and so much more to love.
🔍Quick Look: Chicken Fatteh Recipe
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 25 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 45 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 3 adults
- 🔥 Cook Method: Pressure-cook and stovetop
- ⭐ Difficulty: Moderate
- 😋 Recipe Highlights: Layers of broth-soaked pita, spiced rice, shredded chicken, and creamy yoghurt tahini sauce finished with toasted pine nuts and parsley for a rich mix of textures and flavours.
- 🎯 Key to Success: Assemble close to serving time.
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What Makes This Fatteh Chicken Special?
Fatteh is a classic Levantine dish found across Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. It is a delicious way to use stale flatbread, often toasted or fried and layered with legumes, vegetables, meat, or poultry. Most versions are finished with a refreshing yoghurt sauce and topped with fried nuts.
The Chicken Fatteh (Fatteh Djaj) I am sharing here is inspired by Fatteh Ghazawiya, a rice-based layered dish that traditionally does not include yoghurt. This recipe is a small fusion of the two styles, combining spiced rice and chicken with the creamy yoghurt tahini layer to make a satisfying main course for lunch or dinner. All it really needs is good company and a big serving spoon. 😄
Ingredient Notes
Here are the key ingredients you will need to make this Chicken Fatteh with rice.
- Chicken: Though bone-in, skin-on chicken gives the most flavour to your broth, you can use boneless thighs, drumsticks or a whole chicken!
- Yoghurt: I like to thin it down with a splash of laban (drinking yoghurt), water, or milk. Greek yoghurt works, but add a little more liquid to loosen it.
- Tahini: Look for tahini made from 100% sesame seeds. Stir the jar well before using.
- Rice: I have made this with basmati, calrose, and South Indian jeerakasala rice - all work beautifully. Use any grain rice you enjoy eating!
- Baharat Spice Mix: A Middle Eastern spice blend you can make at home or buy. If you do not have it, you can use ground allspice and cinnamon alone.
- Pita: Any Arabic flatbread, like kubz, shrak, markouk or saj, will work.
- Nuts: Almonds and or pine nuts.
Refer to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this page for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Ahead?
Most of the components of this dish can be prepared ahead of time, making it much easier to pull together for a meal. You can also make a quicker version using store-bought ingredients.
- Chicken broth and shredded chicken: Make up to 2 days ahead and store separately in the fridge. You may also pan-roast the shredded chicken as per the recipe, then store it.
- Yoghurt sauce: Make up to 1 day ahead, cover, and refrigerate.
- Rice: Best made on the day, but can be reheated gently with a splash of water.
When you are ready to serve, warm the chicken and rice, assemble the layers, pour over the yoghurt sauce, top with nuts and parsley, and serve immediately.
Tips for the Best Chicken Fatteh
- Do not skip straining the homemade broth because you want a clean, clear liquid for the rice and the pita.
- Try to keep the yoghurt sauce slightly at room temperature when you assemble.
- The pita should be softened but not soggy. Pour the broth gradually.
- Assemble the dish just before eating.
What to Serve With Chicken Fatteh?
Chicken Fatteh is a complete meal on its own, but if you are serving a spread, it pairs well with:
- A simple cucumber and tomato salad
- Gazan Dugga - A condiment with pounded garlic, green chillies and salt with lemon juice
- My Tabbouleh Salad is also good alongside this. You can browse my salad recipes for easy ideas.
This is how we relished it each time I made this satiating dish!
Storage & Reheating
Chicken Fatteh is best eaten immediately once assembled. This is not a dish that keeps well once all the layers are together. So, do not assemble more than you plan to eat in one sitting.
If you end up with extra shredded chicken after making this, use it to make my Shredded Chicken Chilli!
Make It Easier With Store-Bought Shortcuts
I totally understand that this dish has several components and a long list of ingredients. But you do not have to make everything from scratch. Skip the whole broth-making and shredding step entirely.
- Rotisserie chicken -Pick up a rotisserie chicken from your favourite place, shred the meat, and go straight to the pan-roasting step with your spice mix. It works beautifully and saves a good 30 minutes.
- Store-bought chicken broth - a good store-bought chicken broth or a simple stock made from a bouillon cube works perfectly for cooking the rice and soaking the pita.
With these two shortcuts, you can pull together this dish in under 30 minutes - which makes it a genuinely weeknight-friendly meal, not just a weekend project.
🍲More Amazing Chicken and Rice Recipes
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📖 Recipe Card
Chicken Fatteh Recipe (Palestinian-Style Layered Dish)
Ingredients
For the Chicken Broth:
- 500 grams boneless chicken thighs, (see notes)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 small red onion, halved
- 1 green cardamom
- 2 cloves
- ½ inch cinnamon stick
- 5 black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water
For the Yoghurt Sauce:
- 2 cups full-fat yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup water
For the Rice:
- 1 cup raw rice, rinsed (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2¼ cups chicken broth
- salt to taste
For the Chicken:
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 teaspoon Baharat spice mix
For the Base (Layer 1):
- 2 pita bread, torn roughly
- ¾ cup chicken broth, warm (adjust based on the bread)
For the Topping:
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts, (or chopped almonds)
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
Prepare the chicken broth
- Add the broth ingredients to a pressure cooker. Don't have to peel or chop the garlic and onion. Close the lid and cook on medium heat for 2 whistles until the chicken is tender. Let the pressure release naturally.500 grams boneless chicken thighs (see notes)3 garlic cloves1 small red onion halved1 green cardamom2 cloves½ inch cinnamon stick5 black peppercorns1 teaspoon salt3 cups water
Make the yoghurt sauce
- In a bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, and water until smooth and pourable. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Cover and set aside until assembly.2 cups full-fat yoghurt1 tablespoon tahini2 tablespoon lemon juice1 garlic clove minced¼ cup water
Shred the chicken
- Remove the chicken from the broth and let it cool slightly. Shred using two forks or your fingers.
- Strain and reserve the broth. You will need it for the rice and for soaking the pita.
Cook the rice
- In a bowl, combine the rinsed rice with the spices.1 cup raw rice rinsed (see notes)½ teaspoon turmeric powder¼ teaspoon cardamom powder½ teaspoon cumin powder
- Heat the olive oil in a deep pot. Add the spiced rice and sauté for 2 minutes until all grains are coated.2 teaspoon olive oil
- Pour in the reserved chicken broth and add salt if needed. Bring to a boil until the grains surface, then cover and cook on low heat for 5-8 minutes. Switch off and let rest, covered, for another 10 minutes until the rice is soft and slightly sticky.2¼ cups chicken brothsalt to taste
Pan-roast the shredded chicken
- Heat cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shredded chicken and sprinkle with Baharat. Toss and cook for 3-4 minutes until lightly roasted and aromatic. Set aside.1 tablespoon cooking oil2 teaspoon Baharat spice mix
Prepare the topping
- Heat olive oil in a small pan and fry the pine nuts (or chopped almonds) until golden and fragrant. Keep the olive oil to drizzle over the finished dish.2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil2 tablespoon pine nuts (or chopped almonds)
Prepare the base
- Use an 11-inch oval serving dish, about 2 inches deep (or any similarly sized deep dish). Arrange the torn pita pieces in the base. Pour the warm chicken broth evenly over the bread to soften.2 pita bread torn roughly¾ cup chicken broth warm (adjust based on the bread)
Assemble the fatteh in layers
- Layer 2: Spread the warm pan-roasted shredded chicken evenly over the pita.
- Layer 3: Top the chicken with the warm spiced rice.
- Layer 4: Spoon the yoghurt-tahini sauce all over the rice.
Finish and serve
- Spoon the fried pine nuts and their olive oil over the yoghurt layer. Sprinkle generously with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Notes
Nutrition Info
Inspired and adapted from the book by Dima Sharif and from Fadi Kattan's Fatteh Ghazawiya
Famidha Ashraf says
This chicken fatteh with rice is truly my all-time favourite... layers of broth-soaked pita, shredded chicken, spiced rice, and yoghurt sauce all in one dish? Pure comfort! Try it and let me know, I'd love to hear how you made it!