Middle Eastern & North African · Lunch · Dinner
Harees
هريس
A soothing Gulf porridge of slow-simmered wheat and tender chicken, beaten until silky and finished with a light drizzle of ghee. It is comfort food at its simplest, made lighter here with skinless chicken and just a touch of ghee.
- Prep
- 375 min
- Cook
- 180 min
- Total
- 555 min
- Serves
- 6
Calories come from: Carbs 51% · Fat 19% · Protein 30%
Track it in BerryFit and see how it fits your own daily target. Get the app ›
Ingredients
For 6 servings- 1 1/2 cups300 gHarees wheat (whole wheat berries)
- 4 cups, drained and discarded1,000 gWater for soaking (optional)
- 5 to 6 thighs500 gBoneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 medium, removed from the broth110 gOnion, halved (optional)
- 1 stick, removed from the brothCinnamon stick (optional)
- 4 pods, removed from the brothGreen cardamom pods, lightly crushed (optional)
- 8 1/2 cups2,000 gWater for cooking
- 1 1/2 tsp9 gSalt
- 1 tbsp13 gGhee
- 1/2 tspGround cinnamon, to serve (optional)
Steps
- 1
Rinse the wheat in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear.
- 2
Cover the wheat with the soaking water and leave it to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- 3
Drain the wheat and discard the soaking water.
- 4
Put the chicken, onion, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and the cooking water into a large heavy pot.
- 5
Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off any foam from the surface.
- 6
Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through to 74 °C / 165 °F.
- 7
Lift out the chicken and shred it finely with two forks, then cover it and refrigerate until step 11.
- 8
Remove and discard the onion, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods from the broth.
- 9
Add the drained wheat to the broth and bring back to a simmer.
- 10
Cover and cook gently for about 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes so it does not stick, until the wheat is very soft and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- 11
Take the chicken from the fridge, return it to the pot and stir in the salt.
- 12
Beat the mixture hard with a wooden spoon, or pulse briefly with a hand blender, until thick, smooth and slightly stretchy.
- 13
Simmer for 15 more minutes on low heat, stirring often, until the porridge is piping hot and the chicken is heated through to 74 °C / 165 °F.
- 14
Spoon into bowls, drizzle with the ghee and dust with ground cinnamon if using.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use boneless skinless chicken breast instead of thighs for a leaner version, simmering just until cooked through so it stays tender.
- Replace the ghee with a teaspoon of olive oil per bowl for a dairy-free finish.
- If you can't find harees wheat, use pearled or whole wheat berries from the supermarket, or cracked wheat for a shorter cooking time, adding a little extra water if it thickens too fast.
- For a lamb version, swap the chicken for lean boneless lamb shoulder and simmer it until very tender before shredding.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days. Reheat with a splash of water or broth, stirring, until steaming hot throughout; it can be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed in the fridge, though the texture may turn slightly grainier.
Make ahead
Rinse and soak the wheat the night before, and you can cook and shred the chicken and broth a day ahead, keeping both covered in the fridge. The finished harees also reheats well, so it can be made a day in advance and loosened with a little water when reheating.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
Track this in BerryFit
Log Harees in one tap and see how it fits your remaining calories for today.
Or ask Coach Berry to change it
Allergens and nutrition
Contains: GlutenMilk
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (470 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 291 kcal | 62 kcal |
| Protein | 22.1 g | 4.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 37.9 g | 8.1 g |
| of which sugars | 0.2 g | 0 g |
| Fiber | 6.1 g | 1.3 g |
| Fat | 6.4 g | 1.4 g |
| of which saturated | 2.4 g | 0.5 g |
| Sodium | 676 mg | 144 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
