Sumac chicken with onions (musakhan)
Ingredients
Method
- Make the marinade: crush the garlic and mix it with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the sumac, the cumin, cinnamon, allspice, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken legs in it and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the legs skin side up in a roasting dish and roast for 45 minutes, basting once or twice with their juices, until the skin is golden and the meat is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice the onions. Cook them in the rest of the olive oil over a low heat for about 25 minutes, stirring from time to time, until very soft and barely golden. Add 1 tablespoon of sumac and season with salt.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan for 2 to 3 minutes, keeping a close eye on them.
- Brush the flatbreads with a little of the chicken cooking juices, spread the onions over them and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until the edges are crisp.
- Place a chicken leg on each flatbread and scatter over the pine nuts, chopped parsley and a pinch of sumac. Serve straight away, with plain yoghurt and a salad.
Notes
Golden, fragrant roast chicken, meltingly soft onions tinged with red, crisp bread soaking up the cooking juices and a scattering of toasted pine nuts: musakhan is the great festive dish of Palestinian cooking. Its star ingredient is sumac, which gives the chicken and onions their tangy flavour and beautiful colour. Here is our homemade recipe, easy to make in the oven, and all our tips for getting the onions right, the real secret of this dish.
Musakhan, a Palestinian festive dish
The word musakhan means ‘reheated’ or ‘heated’ in Arabic, a reference to the bread that goes into the oven with the onions. The dish was born in the Palestinian countryside, around the olive harvest in November. It was made to celebrate the new olive oil, with taboon bread baked in a clay oven, onions and chicken. Today it is considered the Palestinian national dish and is also cooked in Jordan and Lebanon.
It is served on a large platter in the middle of the table, and everyone helps themselves by hand, tearing off a piece of bread with the onions and chicken. It is a generous dish made for sharing, ideal for entertaining.
Sumac, the spice of musakhan
No sumac, no musakhan. This deep reddish-purple spice, made from dried and ground berries, has a tangy, fruity flavour reminiscent of lemon. It flavours the chicken marinade, colours the onions and is sprinkled on again just before serving. This dish uses it generously, up to three tablespoons for four people.
Here, sumac is paired with a little cumin, cinnamon and allspice, a mild spice reminiscent of cloves. To find out all about sumac, its flavour and its other uses in cooking, read our complete guide to sumac.
The secret: meltingly soft onions
Onions are the heart of musakhan. You need plenty of them, about one large onion per person, and they must cook for a long time over a low heat until very tender and slightly sweet. Don’t try to brown them quickly over a high heat: they would turn dry and bitter. Allow 25 minutes, stirring from time to time, then add the sumac at the end. The onions then take on a lovely red hue and a flavour that is both sweet and tangy.
Red onions, which are milder, are best, but brown onions work too. To slice them easily, cut them in half, then into thin half-moons.
Which chicken to choose?
Traditionally, a whole chicken cut into pieces is used. Chicken legs are the simplest choice: they stay moist as they cook and their skin turns lovely and crisp. Boneless thighs cook faster, in about 30 minutes. Chicken breasts work too, but they dry out more easily: in that case, shorten the cooking time and baste them often.
Don’t skip the marinade. Thirty minutes is enough, but a night in the fridge gives a much more flavourful chicken. So you can make it the evening before and simply put it in the oven the next day.
The bread for musakhan
In Palestine, musakhan is made with taboon bread, a thick, soft flatbread baked on hot stones. It is hard to find outside the Middle East, but Lebanese bread, a large pitta or naan bread will do very nicely. What matters is that the bread is thick enough to absorb the chicken juices and the oil from the onions without tearing. The edges, meanwhile, turn crisp in the oven.
What to serve with musakhan?
Musakhan is a complete meal, but it feels lighter with a fresh, tangy salad. Our sumac fattoush is the ideal accompaniment: its crunchy vegetables and herbs balance the softness of the onions. A simple bowl of plain yoghurt, diced cucumber with mint or a few olives round off the meal perfectly.
Our variations
Musakhan rolls
Shred the cooked chicken and mix it with the onions. Place a spoonful of this mixture on triangles of very thin bread, roll them up like small cigars and bake for 10 minutes until golden. These rolls are perfect as party nibbles or for a buffet.
Vegetarian musakhan
Replace the chicken with cauliflower wedges or chickpeas roasted with the same marinade. The sumac onions and pine nuts give the dish all its flavour.
Storage
The chicken and onions keep for 2 days in the fridge, in separate containers. Reheat them in the oven, then top the bread at the last minute so it stays crisp. Sumac onions freeze very well: make a big batch and keep some for next time.
Frequently asked questions
Is musakhan spicy?
No. Sumac is tangy but not hot, and the other spices are mild. It is a dish children enjoy.
Can musakhan be made ahead?
Yes. Marinate the chicken the day before and cook the onions in advance. On the day, all that is left is to roast the chicken and warm the breads in the oven.
Can I use less oil?
Yes. The traditional recipe uses a lot of olive oil, which is part of the dish. Our version already contains less, and you can reduce it further by covering the onions while they cook, so that they cook in their own steam.
