Lebanese Chicken Fatteh Dinner Bowls

Chicken fatteh turns warmly spiced shredded chicken, toasted pita, mint yogurt sauce, and crunchy nuts into a generous dinner bowl, with Lebanese rice and a crisp salad if you like.

A Modern Take on Lebanese Chicken Fatteh

I took the beloved layered Lebanese dish and gave it a practical dinner-bowl twist. You still get the contrast that makes chicken fatteh so special: warm spiced chicken, cool minty yogurt, crisp pita, and toasted nuts in every bite.

Traditionally, the shredded chicken, pita, yogurt sauce, and nuts are layered casserole-style. In my version, I build individual bowls—a little like the fatteh version of my gyro bowl. Add Lebanese rice and a simple tomato and cucumber salad alongside, and dinner is complete.

There are a few components, but none of them is fussy. You can prepare everything in stages, then assemble the bowls when you are ready to eat.

What is Chicken Fatteh?

In Arabic, the word fatteh means “crumbs” or “broken pieces,” referring to the pieces of day-old or toasted pita that form the foundation of the dish. Fatteh is actually a family of Middle Eastern dishes, so the ingredients and layering vary from one household to another.

Chicken fatteh typically combines pita, shredded chicken, yogurt sauce, and toasted nuts. Some versions include chickpeas or rice. My meatless fatteh recipe layers chickpeas with tahini yogurt, while this chicken version gets its bold flavor from sumac, paprika, warm whole spices, and plenty of fresh mint.

Here, I serve the chicken fatteh in individual bowls with the toasted pita underneath. The optional Lebanese rice and fresh salad sit alongside the chicken, so everyone can build their bowl just the way they like it.

Ingredients for Chicken Fatteh 

This chicken fatteh recipe relies on a handful of warm spices and contrasting textures. You’ll find the complete measurements in the recipe card below, but here is what each ingredient brings to the bowl:

• Chicken breasts: Use bone-in chicken breasts with the skin removed, as directed in the tested recipe. They are gently poached with whole spices before being deboned, shredded, and seasoned again in the skillet.
• Apple cider vinegar and whole spices: A splash of apple cider vinegar adds acidity to the poaching liquid, while bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, lightly crushed green cardamom pods, and cloves bring a warm aroma.
• Extra virgin olive oil: A good extra virgin olive oil is used to soften the onion and garlic before the shredded chicken goes into the skillet.
• Onion and garlic: These aromatics form the savory base for the chicken. The mint yogurt sauce gets an additional hit of garlic.
• Paprika and sumac: Sweet Spanish paprika adds mild sweetness and color, while sumac brings its distinctive tangy, lemony flavor.
• Lebanese pita bread: Toast the pita until lightly browned, then break it into chips. These crisp pieces are the defining ingredient in any fatteh.
• Mint yogurt sauce: Plain low-fat yogurt, rather than Greek yogurt, forms the base of the sauce. Garlic and plenty of fresh mint make it cooling, savory, and aromatic.
• Pine nuts and sliced almonds: Toasted nuts give the finished bowl richness and crunch.
• Fresh parsley: Parsley adds fresh flavor and color to the finished bowls.
• Lebanese rice and Mediterranean salad: Both are optional, but they turn the chicken fatteh into the complete dinner bowl pictured here.

How to Make Chicken Fatteh

Chicken fatteh comes together in a few simple stages, and you can prepare several components while the chicken cooks. Follow this order so everything is ready to assemble at about the same time. 

1. Make the mint yogurt sauce. In a small bowl, combine the plain yogurt, crushed garlic, fresh or dried mint, and a pinch of salt. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the chicken.
2. Prepare the optional sides. If you are serving the chicken fatteh as a complete dinner bowl, make the Lebanese rice and Mediterranean salad and set them aside.
3. Poach the chicken. Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer in a heavy pot or Dutch oven and season with salt. Add the apple cider vinegar, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, lightly crushed cardamom pods, and cloves. Pour in enough cold water to cover the chicken by about 1 inch.
4. Cook until the chicken is done. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil. Skim away any white foam that collects on the surface. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken registers 165°F on a meat thermometer.
5. Cool and shred the chicken. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board with a slotted spoon. Strain and reserve the flavorful broth for another use. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the bones and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
6. Season the shredded chicken. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for 4 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
7. Finish the chicken mixture. Add the shredded chicken, paprika, and sumac. Season with salt and black pepper, stir until the chicken is evenly coated, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until warmed through. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in most of the toasted pine nuts and sliced almonds, reserving some for serving. Garnish with parsley.
8. Build the chicken fatteh bowls. Divide the toasted pita among serving bowls. Spoon the warm chicken over the pita and finish with a generous scoop of mint yogurt sauce and the reserved toasted nuts. Add the optional Lebanese rice and Mediterranean salad alongside.

Tips for Making Chicken Fatteh

• Use green cardamom pods. This is the type I use for poaching the chicken. Lightly crush the pods before adding them to the pot to help release their aroma.
• Season the chicken in two stages. The whole spices perfume the chicken as it poaches. After shredding, sauté it with onion, garlic, paprika, and sumac for another layer of flavor.
• Skim the poaching liquid. Remove the white foam that rises to the surface before covering the pot. This is especially helpful if you plan to save the broth.
• Do not throw away the broth. Strain it and reserve it for another recipe, such as soup or rice.
• Toast the pita well. It should be lightly browned and crisp before you break it into chips. The contrast between warm chicken, creamy yogurt, and crunchy pita is what makes the bowl.
• Assemble just before serving. You can prepare the individual components ahead of time, but wait to build the bowls until everyone is ready to eat so the pita retains its texture.
• Allow extra time for the complete bowls. The Lebanese rice and Mediterranean salad are optional, but plan on about 25 additional minutes if you are making both.
• Adjust thicker yogurt if needed. The tested recipe uses plain low-fat yogurt. If the yogurt you have is thicker, I loosen it with a little olive oil and a splash of citrus.

What to Serve with Chicken Fatteh

Chicken fatteh already brings protein, creamy yogurt, crisp pita, and toasted nuts together in one generous bowl. You can serve it just like that, or add Lebanese rice with vermicelli and my fresh Mediterranean tomato and cucumber salad to make the complete dinner pictured here.

The fluffy rice catches the spiced chicken and yogurt sauce, while the tomato and cucumber salad brings freshness and crunch. Set everything out separately and let each person build their own bowl.

You can also serve chicken fatteh casserole-style. Spread the toasted pita across the bottom of a serving dish, add the chicken, and spoon the mint yogurt sauce over the top. Finish with the toasted nuts and fresh parsley just before serving.

Make Ahead and Storage

Chicken fatteh is best assembled just before serving, but you can prepare the individual components ahead of time. Keep the chicken, mint yogurt sauce, toasted pita, nuts, rice, and salad separate, then build the bowls when you are ready to eat.

If you have leftovers, refrigerate the chicken and yogurt sauce promptly and keep the pita separate when possible so it does not soften. USDA guidance recommends refrigerating cooked chicken within 2 hours and using it within 3 to 4 days.

More of My Lebanese Favorites

Meat and Poultry

Chicken Shawarma

Sides and Small Plates

Loaded Lebanese Rice: Hashweh (video)

Middle Eastern

Kofta Kebab Recipe

Middle Eastern

Fattoush Salad