Musakhan
Sumac Roasted Chicken with Onions and Taboon Bread
Musakhan is one of Palestine's most cherished dishes, built from roasted chicken piled over taboon bread that has drunk up olive oil, all layered with soft red onions turned deep and tangy with sumac and scattered with toasted pine nuts. The sumac gives the dish its ruby color and its bright, sour edge, and the whole thing is meant to be torn and eaten by hand among friends and family. Often called the national dish of Palestine, it is closely tied to the olive harvest, when the new season's oil is at its very best.
Method
Wash and pat the chicken dry, cut it into pieces, then rub it all over and under the skin with lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.
Finely dice 2 of the onions. In a large pot over medium heat, saute the diced onions in a little olive oil until translucent.
Add the chicken pieces and brown them on all sides.
Add the cardamom, salt, and enough water to cover, then bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 90 minutes. Reserve the cooking broth.
While the chicken simmers, preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
Thinly slice the remaining onions. In a separate deep pot or casserole, combine them with the 2 cups olive oil and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 25 to 35 minutes.
Stir the sumac into the onions and cook another couple of minutes to combine.
Transfer the cooked chicken into the pot of onions and sumac and cook together for about 10 minutes.
Move the chicken pieces to a baking dish and roast until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
To assemble, dip the taboon bread in the reserved chicken broth (or soak it in olive oil for a vegetarian version) and lay it in a baking dish.
Spread a layer of the sumac onions over the bread and broil a few minutes until the edges turn golden.
Repeat the bread-and-onion layering three or four more times.
Top the final layer with the roasted chicken, scatter with pine nuts, and broil one last time until everything is hot and golden. Serve hot.
Cook’s notes
- Toast the pine nuts in a little olive oil until golden for the best flavor and crunch.
- For a meatless version, leave out the chicken and let the oiled bread and sumac onions carry the dish on their own.
- Taboon bread is traditional, though a large flatbread or split pita stands in well.
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