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Musakhan sur un plateau en cuivre : pains plats garnis d'oignons rouges au sumac, cuisses de poulet rôties, pignons de pin et persil, sur une table en bois en terrasse
Team Curcuma

Sumac chicken with onions (musakhan)

The Palestinian festive dish: chicken marinated in sumac and roasted in the oven, served on flatbreads topped with meltingly soft onions and toasted pine nuts.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Marinating 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings : 4 people
Course : Main Course
Cuisine : Palestinian
Calories : 960
Ingredients Préparation Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken legs (about 1.2 kg)
  • 4 large red onions (about 800 g)
  • 80 ml olive oil
  • 3 tbsp sumac (plus extra to serve)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  • 4 flatbreads (Lebanese bread, pitta or taboon bread)
  • 40 g pine nuts
  • 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
  • salt and black pepper

Préparation
 

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan for 2 to 3 minutes, keeping a close eye on them.
  5. 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.
  6. 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

The longer the chicken marinates, the more flavourful it is: overnight in the fridge is ideal. You can also shred the cooked chicken and roll everything up in thin flatbreads: these are musakhan rolls, perfect as party nibbles or for a picnic.