Moroccan Cuisine: Recipe for Rfissa, Savory Chicken With Lentils

Rabat – The beauty of Moroccan cuisine is that with the right ingredients, food enthusiasts around the world can try hundreds of recipes. Rfissa, a savory chicken dish with lentils, is a favorite in Morocco and abroad. Try Morocco’s famous rfissa for yourself with this easy-to-follow recipe straight from a Moroccan kitchen.

The meal has a long list of ingredients, but don’t feel panicked. This Moroccan rfissa recipe is actually very simple and doable if you follow the procedure correctly.

You will need two lists of ingredients. Let us start with the basics.

Bring a bowl to prepare a doughy paste to prepare one of the basic ingredients in rfissa: Flat msemen, also known as Moroccan pancakes.

Ingredients for msemen, the foundation of every Moroccan rfissa recipe

1 bowl of yellow flour

2 bowls of bread flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

2 cups of warm water

Get a big bowl to put your ingredients into. Combine 1.5 bowls of bread flour with 1 bowl of yellow flour. Add the baking powder and salt. Add water little by little while working the paste with your both hands until you have a fluffy. cohesive dough.

Make little balls and let your dough rest for a couple of minutes.

After 15 minutes, pour some of your bread flour onto your kitchen counter or a flat surface to start preparing to cook your msemen.

Moroccans usually have a hand from one of their relatives to make rfissa work. Preparing this dish takes time, but with dedication, it is really doable.

Now, pour some cooking out into a small bowl.

Place a pan over low heat. Rub your hands with the cooking oil and place one of your dough balls on the kitchen counter. Press the dough until you get a flat circle.

Place the now-flattened dough ball in the heated pan. Make sure to keep an eye on the msemen, because they cook really quickly. When they are semi-cooked, remove them and set them aside. You will steam the msemen later to get it fully cooked. 

Do the same steps for the rest of the dough balls until you finish cooking your msemen.

Now, let us move to the next stage of the recipe and prepare the best part about Moroccan rfissa: Chicken with onions and a savory sauce.

Usually, Moroccans prepare the chicken and the msemen in parallel. But since this Moroccan rfissa recipe is intended for beginners, it is better to do both steps separately so you won’t feel panicked, as both steps need attention.

Ingredients for Moroccan rfissa chicken

1 chicken 

2 large onions

1 tablespoon of pepper

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of turmeric

1 tablespoon of ginger

1 tablespoon of fenugreek

2 tablespoons of lentils

Handful of parsley

2 heads of garlic

1 tablespoon of smen (Moroccan preserved butter)

Half a cup of cooking oil

Half a cup of olive oil

Place your chicken and chopped onions in a pressure cooker, then add the rest of the ingredients mentioned above. Mix the ingredients together, with your chicken in the middle. Add one liter of water and close the pressure cooker.

To cook the chicken, leave your pressure cooker on medium heat for 45 minutes. 

While the chicken is cooking, you will have another mission: Cut your msemen into little pieces.

Place the msemen pieces into a steamer pot. When your chicken is almost cooked, put the steamer pot on medium heat and leave it for 15 minutes.

When the msemen is fully steamed and the chicken is cooked, put the msemen pieces on a plate, and add the chicken in the middle.

Using a strainer spatula, take the garlic, lentils, and the other ingredients from the pressure cooker and put them on the top and the sides of the chicken. Then add sauce from the pressure cooker depending on how saturated you want your msemen to be.

This Moroccan rfissa recipe makes enough for four or five guests.

Rfissa is most commonly enjoyed in the winter and autumn, as it tends to make you feel warm, but its fans don’t mind it even on a summary day. This recipe is full of nutritious ingredients, an added bonus for Moroccan rfissa lovers.

Bon appetit!