Ingredients :

• Chicken thighs — Use thighs, not breasts. Breasts dry out after 1h of cooking. Thighs stay juicy, the meat falls off the bone by itself, and the bones give body to the broth. It’s simple, but fundamental.
• Merguez — Lamb or beef merguez. Avoid the ones swimming in fat in a cheap tray — they will cloud and weigh down your broth. A good merguez is firm, well-spiced, and not too fatty. And we always cook them separately in a dry pan.
• Couscous semolina — Medium semolina. Not fine (too sticky), not coarse (takes too long to hydrate). Standard brands from the couscous aisle work perfectly fine. The important part is the fluffing — we’ll get back to that.
• Spices — Ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon. Cinnamon is marked as optional in many recipes, but it brings a very discreet warm note that changes everything. Measure it yourself rather than using a pre-made mix — industrial proportions are often unbalanced.