Palestinian Chicken Musakhan with Onion and Sumac
shared by مطبخ Nibblore
This Palestinian musakhan pairs crisp, golden chicken with sweet, slow-cooked onions enriched with olive oil and tangy sumac. Served over taboon bread, it soaks up the deeply savoury juices while the separately roasted chicken keeps its skin crisp and meat tender. It is an ideal centrepiece for a warm family lunch or dinner. • Do not rush the onions by increasing the heat; they should soften and sweeten slowly without burning or turning crisp. • Sumac varies in tartness, so taste the onion mixture before adding any extra lemon juice. • To keep the chicken skin crisp, do not cover it with onions during final assembly. • If your taboon bread is very thin, use a double layer so it can absorb the juices without tearing. • Use 12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs instead of whole legs, checking for doneness after 35 minutes. • Replace taboon bread with thick pita bread or soft tannour bread. • Use water instead of chicken stock, then taste and add an extra pinch of salt if needed. Refrigerate the chicken and onions in an airtight container for up to 3 days, keeping the bread separate if possible. Reheat the chicken and onions at 190°C for 15–20 minutes, adding them to fresh bread for the final 5 minutes. Freeze the chicken and onions without the bread for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Keep this recipe in your family cookbook — free forever.
Save recipeIngredients
- 6 piecesbone-in, skin-on whole chicken legs, about 1.8 kg total
- 2 tspfine salt, divided
- 1 tspground black pepper
- 1 tspground allspice
- ½ tspground cinnamon
- 180 mlextra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 kgyellow onions, thinly sliced
- 5 tbspground sumac, divided
- 120 mlunsalted chicken stock
- 1 tbspfresh lemon juice
- 6 loavesmedium taboon bread
- 2 tbspflat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1Preheat the oven to 220°C. Pat the chicken pieces thoroughly dry, then rub them with 1½ teaspoons of the salt, the black pepper, allspice, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
- 2Arrange the chicken skin-side up in a 30 × 40 cm metal roasting tin, leaving space between the pieces. Roast on the middle shelf for 40–50 minutes, until the skin is deeply browned and crisp and the thickest part of the meat reaches 74°C without the thermometer touching the bone.
- 3While the chicken roasts, heat 120 ml of the olive oil in a wide, heavy 30 cm pan over medium heat. Add the onions and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until they begin to soften.
- 4Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the onions for 30–35 minutes, stirring every 4–5 minutes, until very soft and golden at the edges but not dry. Add a splash of the stock if they begin to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- 5Stir 4 tablespoons of the sumac, the remaining stock and the lemon juice into the onions. Increase the heat to medium and simmer gently for 3–4 minutes, until the juices come together and the onions remain moist and easy to spread. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
- 6Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C. Brush a large ovenproof serving tray with the remaining olive oil, then arrange the taboon breads on it with the edges slightly overlapping. Spread three-quarters of the onion mixture and its juices evenly over the bread.
- 7Place the chicken pieces on top of the onions, then spoon the remaining onions around them. Return the tray to the oven for 8–10 minutes, until the bread is hot and has absorbed the juices while its edges remain firm.
- 8Let the musakhan rest for 5 minutes, then sprinkle it with the remaining tablespoon of sumac and the parsley. Serve hot, cutting a portion of the bread and onions beneath each piece of chicken.