Shorbat Freekeh (Smoked Wheat Soup)

Name: Shorbat Freekeh (Smoked Wheat Soup)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 4 thighs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; 1 cup cracked freekeh (green smoked wheat), rinsed; 1 medium yellow onion, quartered; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp ground allspice; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth; 1.5 tsp kosher salt; 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

A hearty Levantine soup built on smoky cracked freekeh simmered with slow-cooked chicken, warm spices, and a bright squeeze of lemon. Rich, nutty, and deeply comforting.

75 minMediumServes 6315 cal/serving

Middle EasternSoupStovetopStandardLow CarbDairy-FreeEgg-FreeNut-FreeAlcohol-FreeCorn-Free

Ingredients

4 thighs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 cup cracked freekeh (green smoked wheat), rinsed
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1.5 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

1

Place 4 thighs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in a large pot with 1 medium quartered yellow onion, 1 tsp ground allspice, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1.5 tsp kosher salt, and 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth. Bring to a boil, skimming any foam. Reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), about 30-35 minutes.
2

Remove chicken from the pot. Discard the onion pieces. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken meat, discarding the skin and bones. Set the meat aside.
3

Return the broth to a gentle boil. Stir in 1 cup rinsed cracked freekeh (green smoked wheat). Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the freekeh is tender and the soup has thickened, about 20-25 minutes.
4

Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Add 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice and 2 tbsp olive oil. Taste and adjust salt.
5

Ladle into bowls and garnish with 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Questions

Can I make Shorbat Freekeh (Smoked Wheat Soup) gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in this entry is 1 cup cracked freekeh (green smoked wheat), rinsed. Swap the grain for cooked rice or quinoa (the chew will differ). Everything else proceeds as written.

How long does Shorbat Freekeh (Smoked Wheat Soup) keep?

Refrigerate it up to four days, or freeze it in portions for up to three months. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water or stock to loosen it.

Can I halve or double Shorbat Freekeh (Smoked Wheat Soup)?

Yes. As written it serves 6. Every ingredient in this entry carries precomputed half and double quantities, and the app's batch dial rewrites them inside each step. When doubling on the stovetop, use your widest pan or work in two batches so the food sears instead of steaming.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,504 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.