A white bowl of green molokhia soup with finely minced leaves and flecks of garlic, sitting on a dark granite countertop. — Photo: Yosi I · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Middle Eastern & North African · Lunch · Dinner

Molokhia with Chicken

Name: Molokhia with Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Cuisine: Middle Eastern & North African
Ingredients: 500 g (about 2 large breasts) boneless skinless chicken breast; 6 cups water for broth; 1 medium onion, halved; 2 leaves bay leaves; 4 pods green cardamom pods; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground; 400 g (1 pack) frozen minced molokhia (jute leaves), thawed; 8 cloves garlic, finely minced; 2 tsp ground coriander; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 cup brown rice, dry; 2 1/2 cups water for rice; 2 tbsp lemon juice, to serve

ملوخية بالفراخ

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 20, 2026 · How we make recipes

Silky Egyptian jute leaf soup simmered in homemade chicken broth and finished with a sizzling garlic and coriander topping. It is served with tender poached chicken and nutty brown rice for a comforting, lighter meal.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 45 min
Total: 60 min
Serves: 4

Medium
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
High protein

21%

Per serving411kcal21% of a 2,000 kcal day

36gProtein

48gCarbs

9gFat

5gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 46% · Fat 19% · Protein 35%

Jump to recipe

Track it in BerryFit and see how it fits your own daily target. Get the app ›

Ingredients

For 4 servings

500 g (about 2 large breasts)boneless skinless chicken breast
6 cups1,440 gwater for broth
1 medium110 gonion, halved
2 leavesbay leaves
4 podsgreen cardamom pods
1 tsp6 gsalt
1/2 tspblack pepper, ground
400 g (1 pack)frozen minced molokhia (jute leaves), thawed
8 cloves24 ggarlic, finely minced
2 tspground coriander
1 tbsp14 golive oil
1 cup185 gbrown rice, dry
2 1/2 cups600 gwater for rice
2 tbsp30 glemon juice, to serve (optional)

Steps

1
Rinse the brown rice, then put it in a saucepan with the 2 1/2 cups of rice water.
2
Bring the rice to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 40 minutes until the water is absorbed; rest it covered off the heat.
3
Meanwhile, put the chicken, 6 cups of broth water, onion, bay leaves, cardamom pods, salt and black pepper in a large pot.
4
Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then simmer gently for 20–25 minutes until the chicken reaches 74 °C / 165 °F in the thickest part.
5
Lift out the chicken and keep it warm; strain the broth and discard the onion, bay leaves and cardamom.
6
Return about 4 cups of broth to the pot and bring it to a gentle simmer, keeping the rest for thinning if needed.
7
Stir in the thawed molokhia and heat for 5–7 minutes, stirring often, without letting it boil hard so it stays silky.
8
In a small pan, warm the olive oil over medium heat and fry the garlic for 1–2 minutes until just golden.
9
Add the ground coriander to the garlic and stir for 20 seconds until fragrant.
10
Pour the garlic mixture into the molokhia, stir, and add a little more reserved broth if you prefer it thinner.
11
Slice or shred the chicken.
12
Serve the molokhia in bowls with the chicken and brown rice, adding a squeeze of lemon juice if you like.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

For a vegan version, use a vegetable broth labelled vegan instead of homemade chicken broth and replace the chicken with chickpeas or pan-fried firm tofu.
Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breast for juicier meat and a richer broth.
Swap the brown rice for white basmati or Egyptian vermicelli rice if you prefer the traditional style, noting that vermicelli contains wheat and is not gluten-free.
If you can't find frozen molokhia, use dried molokhia soaked in hot water, or finely chopped fresh spinach as a looser stand-in.

Storage

Refrigerate the molokhia and chicken in separate covered containers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating gently until steaming hot. Cool leftover rice quickly, refrigerate it within 1 hour, eat it within 1 day and reheat it only once until steaming hot. Molokhia can be frozen for about 2 to 3 months.

Make ahead

Poach the chicken and make the broth up to 2 days ahead, chilling them separately, and cook the rice a day ahead. Add the molokhia and the fresh garlic and coriander topping just before serving for the best flavour and texture.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

Track this in BerryFit

Log Molokhia with Chicken in one tap and see how it fits your remaining calories for today.

Or ask Coach Berry to change it

Make it veganMore proteinFewer calories

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Allergens and nutrition

No major allergens in the ingredients.

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (821 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	411 kcal	50 kcal
Protein	36.2 g	4.4 g
Carbohydrates	48 g	5.8 g
of which sugars	2.5 g	0.3 g
Fiber	4.8 g	0.6 g
Fat	8.6 g	1 g
of which saturated	1.5 g	0.2 g
Sodium	675 mg	82 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.