Musakhan

Musakhan (Palestinian Sumac-Roasted Chicken on Taboon)

Palestine's national dish: chicken slow-cooked with sweet onions and tart sumac until silky, then piled onto flatbread so it drinks up the lemony olive oil juices, finished with toasted pine nuts.

Prep

25 min

Cook

90 min

Total

115 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1.6 kg (3½ lb) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or 8 bone-in skin-on thighs), skin-on is essential for the orange-tinted juices
• •30 g (¼ cup) sumac, good-quality, deep red; do not substitute with lemon
• •1.2 kg (2½ lb (about 5 large)) yellow or white onions, halved and sliced 5 mm thick
• •120 ml (½ cup) olive oil, Palestinian or other good extra-virgin, divided
• •1.2 L (5 cups) water or chicken stock, for cooking the onions
• •2 tsp ground cumin
• •1 tsp ground cinnamon
• •1 tsp ground black pepper
• •1.5 tsp (1½ tsp) salt, adjust to taste
• •2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• •60 g (½ cup) pine nuts
• •4 pieces taboon bread (large flatbread), substitution: large naan or any thick, sturdy flatbread; taboon gives the authentic smoky flavor
• •1 small squeeze of lemon and extra sumac, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Pat the chicken pieces dry. Rub with 1 tsp salt, the pepper, half of the sumac (15 g / 2 tbsp), half the cumin, and 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil. Set aside to marinate while you cook the onions, at least 15 minutes.
2. 2 In a wide, heavy pot or deep skillet, heat 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, the remaining cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Cook, stirring often, for 10–12 minutes until the onions soften and turn translucent — do not brown them.
3. 3 Add 1.2 L (5 cups) water or stock and the remaining 15 g (2 tbsp) sumac to the onions. Stir, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook 15–20 minutes until the onions are very soft, silky, and the liquid has reduced by about half. Stir in the lemon juice and taste — the sauce should be tart, savory, and slightly tangy; adjust salt and sumac as needed.
4. 4 Nestle the marinated chicken pieces into the onion-sumac mixture, skin side up. The liquid should come about halfway up the chicken; add a splash of water if needed. Cover and simmer gently over low heat for 35–45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Doneness cue: the juices run clear when a thigh is pierced at the bone and the internal temperature reads 75 °C / 165 °F on an instant-read thermometer.
5. 5 Uncover, increase heat slightly, and simmer another 5–8 minutes to reduce the sauce so it is thick and oily (not watery) and the chicken skin is tinged deep orange from the sumac.
6. 6 While the chicken finishes, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan often, until golden and fragrant — watch closely, they burn fast. Transfer to a plate immediately.
7. 7 Warm the taboon bread (or substitute flatbread) by placing it directly on a gas flame, in a hot dry skillet, or under a broiler for 30–60 seconds per side until pliable and lightly charred at the edges.
8. 8 To serve, lay the warm flatbread on a large platter or individual plates. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Spoon the sumac-onion mixture over the bread, then arrange the chicken pieces on top. Scatter the toasted pine nuts over everything. Serve with extra olive oil, a wedge of lemon, and a small bowl of plain yogurt on the side. Eat with fingers, tearing the bread to soak up the juices.