What is Fatteh?
In Arabic, the word “fatteh” literally means “crumbs,” referring to a genre of Middle Eastern foods where day-old toasted pita and other leftovers are re-purposed to create a new meal. Fattoush salad is one popular example of the myriad dishes that fall under “fatteh.” So does this Lebanese chicken fatteh recipe.
Lebanese Chicken Fatteh
Lebanese chicken fatteh is a simple but thoughtful combination of ingredients. It begins with poaching chicken breasts in water with aromatics like cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves and bay leaves. Flavors already building!
Later, the chicken is shredded into bite-sized pieces and cooked briefly in a skillet with onions, garlic and more spices.
Traditionally, the spiced shredded chicken tops a layer of toasted pita bread. A generous amount of mint yogurt sauce, along with toasted pine nuts and almonds, make the very top layer of the Lebanese chicken fatteh casserole. And because every family has it’s own fatteh recipe, some include a layer of Lebanese rice. I took a more modern approach to Lebanese chicken fatteh by converting the casserole into easy dinner bowls–like the fatteh version of my Gyro Bowl with Chicken and Feta. Lebanese rice and this 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad added as sides to complete the dinner bowls.
Although there are a few steps to this recipe, this is truly an easy, unpretentious, and flavor-packed Lebanese chicken dinner. You can prepare it ahead and assemble in bowls when you are ready to serve.
Other Recipes to Try:
Chicken Shawarma 4.9 from 10 reviews
1 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt (not Greek yogurt) 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (or 2–4 tbsp dried crushed mint) pinch salt
To Serve 1 Lebanese Rice Recipe (optional) 1 Mediterranean Salad Recipe (optional) Spanish Chicken and Rice with Chorizo Mediterranean Hashweh Rice
