Maraq Digaag (Spiced Chicken Soup)

Name: Maraq Digaag (Spiced Chicken Soup)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8 cups (4 to 6 servings)
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 medium white onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 1/2 lemon, juiced; 2 teaspoons fine sea salt; 3 medium tomatoes, diced; 4 teaspoons xawaash (see Tip); 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced; 1 handful cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped; 1 medium carrot, diced into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 small jalapeño, stemmed and cut in half; 1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces; Muufo or noodles (both optional), for serving

By Ifrah F. Ahmed

Updated April 2, 2024

Maraq Digaag (Spiced Chicken Soup) — Matt Taylor-Gross for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Total Time: About 1 hour
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Rating: 5(119)
Comments: Read comments

This aromatic and revitalizing soup is the lesser known sibling of maraq ari, a traditional Somali goat soup beloved for both its nutritious and healing properties. Maraq digaag is a comforting soup to turn to in times of sickness. This soup is thick and filling, thanks to the addition of potatoes, and has small hints of heat due to the jalapeño, plus the layered flavors of the xawaash spice blend. Eat it as it is, with bread, or with the noodles of your choice mixed in. The fresh chile invigorates this comforting soup, but the heat level is entirely up to you; you can remove the jalapeño early for a milder soup or keep it throughout, spicing up the broth for as long as you’d like.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 cups (4 to 6 servings)

1½tablespoons olive oil
1medium white onion, diced into ½-inch pieces
1½pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
½lemon, juiced
2teaspoons fine sea salt
3medium tomatoes, diced
4teaspoons xawaash (see Tip)
4 to 5garlic cloves, minced
1handful cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped
1medium carrot, diced into ½-inch pieces
1small jalapeño, stemmed and cut in half
1medium russet potato, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
Muufo or noodles (both optional), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a large pot over medium heat, warm up the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly golden, 6 to 7 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile in a medium bowl, combine the chicken thighs, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon salt.
Step 3
Once onions have softened, stir in the tomatoes and cover. Cook tomatoes until they have softened and broken down, 5 to 6 minutes. Move the tomatoes to the sides and make space in the middle of the pot, turn the heat to medium-high and add in the chicken, cooking 2 minutes per side.
Step 4
Once the chicken has cooked through, turn the heat down to medium-low, add in the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, the xawaash, garlic, cilantro, carrot, jalapeño halves and 3 cups of water. Cover and cook for 13 minutes, mixing occasionally.
Step 5
Add the potatoes, cover and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. You can keep the chicken thighs whole or break them down into smaller chunks with a spoon.
Step 6
Serve the maraq on its own, with bread, or with the noodle of your choice mixed in.

Tip

To prepare your own xawaash blend, add 8 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom to a small nonstick pan. Toast over low heat, stirring continuously, for 1 minute or until the spice mix becomes fragrant, then stir in 1 teaspoon ground turmeric. Makes 4 tablespoons.

Ratings

5 out of 5

119 user ratings

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Comments

Mary1 year ago

This was delish and the recipe is a keeper. I added a few shakes of cayenne to add a little heat. The broth was really good. I think this dish is company worthy!

Bob1 year ago

Just cooked. We made spice the blend ourselves and added orzo pasta to the soup. While it’s tasty it’s blander than we were expecting. Wondering if it will be stronger tomorrow.

Eric1 year ago

I made the recipe as suggested without pasta. We dipped leftover naan instead. Delicious, didn't taste bland at all (although based on the previous comment, I slightly upped every single spice and salt, maybe 1.25 x what was suggested)

charlotte4 months ago

So good. I made a version of the spice mix by following the tip at the end, and included a sprinkling of Indian chili. At times I'm not such a fan of boneless/skinless chicken thighs, but used them and later removed to cut into smaller pieces. This is the second delicious dish I've made by this NYT cook.

Julia5 months ago

Delicious, incredible, and smells AMAZING as soon as you add the cilantro and xawaash. One thing, which probably sounds very obvious but I didn’t really process until eating this: if you slice an entire jalapeño in half and put it in the soup, EVEN IF YOU REMOVE THE SEEDS, it is still very spicy. I’m sweating right now. So maybe I would only put in half of one next time. Entirely my fault, though, for overestimating my own tolerance!

Marc5 months ago

This was great. Added the all lemon juice in with the chicken, added an extra teaspoon of xawaash, and went to 6 cloves of garlic. Was concerned about using water instead of stock but it turned out great with just water added.

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