Musakhan (Palestinian sumac chicken)

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5 from 4 votes

Musakhan (Palestinian sumac chicken)

Musakhan is a delicious combination of slightly tart sumac chicken and softened onions. Comforting and flavorful.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

marinating time (min)2

Total Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Palestinian

Servings: approx

Calories: 713kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

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Ingredients

For chicken and marinade

2 lb chicken thighs on bone 900g (leave skin on)
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon ground sumac
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

For rest of dish

2 red onions medium, or 1 large, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic (large), finely diced

To serve

4 pita bread suggest small or flatbread, approx, to serve
1 tablespoon pine nuts toasted
½ tablespoon chopped parsley (finely chopped)

Instructions

Marinading chicken (ahead of time)

Put the chicken in a bowl, box or freezer bag big enough to hold it all. Mix together the marinade ingredients (oil, lemon, sumac, allspice, cumin and cinnamon) and pour them over the chicken. Toss to coat then cover and refrigerate at least a couple hours, but ideally overnight (not longer than 24 hours).

Cooking dish

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400F/200C.
Warm the remaining oil in a wide skillet/frying pan or similar dish (big enough that the chicken will be in a single layer) over a medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides then remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the onions and cook over a medium heat for a few minutes so they soften but without browning. Add the garlic and cook a minute. Add back the chicken, nestling the pieces evenly in the onions, then cover and transfer the dish to the oven (you can uncover for the last few minutes if you want to try to crisp the skin).
Bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over flatbread/pita, with parsley and toasted pine nuts sprinkled on top.

Notes

You can toast the pine nuts either under broiler or in a dry skillet/frying pan either as the chicken is cooking or ahead of time. Just be sure to watch closely as it will only take a couple minutes and can quickly burn.

Some recipes break up the bread and put it in under the onions and chicken to cook the last few minutes (or additional time) - feel free to give a try to get added flavor in the bread (although it will be soft, of course).

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