Fattet Djej (chicken) is a variation on the more common Fattet Hommos (chickpeas) or Fattet Batenjen (eggplant). Any Fatte will contain a main “protein” or “vegetable” along with garlicky yogurt, browned butter, and crumbled fried bread. The latter is the ingredient that gives Fatte it’s name. Just like Fattoush, which shares the same etymology and is a salad that is topped with fried or grilled bread.
Fattet Djej was the first dish my then husband-to-be had at my mother’s house. She kept offering more, and he was too polite to decline, so he ended up eating for three. We always have a laugh about this story when this dish comes up.
Fattet Djej
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 chicken breasts
- 1 cup of short grain rice
- 1 kg of greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons of Tahini
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 3-4 Small Pita Bread
- 50-100 g of pine nuts
- 2-3 tablespoons of Butter
Directions
- Clean the chicken, salt and pepper it, then boil it. I usually add an onion, carrots, a cinnamon stick, and a couple of laurel leaves in the water. If the surface of the water becomes clouded with a white foam, remove the foam using a spoon or a small sieve.
- Once the chicken is cooked, fry it in a bit of butter to give it some color. Don’t throw the cooking water.
- Boil the rice in the chicken stock (the water in which the chicken boiled). Salt to taste.
- In the meantime, mix 1 kg of yogurt, with 2 tablespoons of Tahini, 3 or 4 crushed garlic cloves and salt to taste.
- Fry each pita bread in frying oil (for example sunflower oil). Remove them when they are still lightly fried as they will continue to fry even after you’ve removed them.
- Shred the chicken then place it in the bottom of your serving dish.
- Layer the yogurt on top.
- Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a skillet on very low heat. Fry the pine nuts in the butter, until the butter begins to foam.
- Pour the melted butter and pine nuts all over the yogurt.
- Add the crumbled bread.
Tips: Some people prefer to put the bread at the base of this dish so that it gets soaked in the yogurt. I prefer it on top because I like to eat it when the bread is still crunchy.
