Chicken Musakhan is a hugely popular national dish of Palestine. This delicious dish features seasoned roasted chicken placed over taboon bread covered with caramelized onions cooked in olive oil and spiced with sumac.
If you're looking for more traditional Palestinian dishes, try my malfouf recipe, shish barak, or mulukhiyah.
You can also try my Musakhan rolls a delightful variation of this classic chicken musakhan recipe.
This authentic Palestinian musakhan recipe is very easy to make, a perfect weeknight supper, and a delightful option for any family gathering.
Musakhan is a dish that I often enjoy with my family and friends, tearing pieces of bread with my hands and scooping the topped caramelized onions cooked in extra virgin olive oil and spiced with sumac, such a flavorful delicious meal.
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What is Musakhan?
The Arabic word "Musakhan" translates to 'heated', a name that catches the essence of this warm, comforting dish.
Musakhan is a traditional recipe that is considered the national dish of Palestine, it consists of lots of caramelized onions cooked in extra virgin olive oil and lots of sumac spice, spread on traditional Palestinian taboon bread, (taboon bread is a flat bread made of white and wheat flour baked in a clay oven) and topped with roasted chicken then with some toasted crunchy pine nuts and almonds.
It’s believed that this recipe originated in Tulkarem and Jenin, two northern cities in Palestine. Traditionally, Palestinians made this dish during the fall, celebrating the olive harvest season using the first freshly pressed oil.
Mushakhan is a dish that is served during family gatherings, and celebrations. It’s a layered dish that you eat with your hands cutting pieces of bread topped with caramelized onions soaked with olive oil.
Equipment
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Roasting Pan– To roast chicken
Knife - For chopping onions and slicing chicken.
Cutting Board - To use for cutting onions.
Pot – For cooking the onions.
Ingredients
Chicken legs – or whole chicken cut into 4-6 pieces.
Red Onions – Red onions are less sweet and work well with this recipe.
Sumac Spice – Sumac is a spice derived from a berry fruit tree, it has a deep red color with a tangy flavor and is an essential ingredient in this recipe, it can be found at any of the Middle Eastern grocery stores.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – A good quality of EVOO is highly recommended, it makes a big difference in the taste.
Flat Bread – If you can't find taboon bread use any type of flatbread or naan bread.
Spices - I use allspice, cinnamon, and a good grind of black pepper to season the chicken.
Sea Salt
Lemon Juice - I like to use some fresh lemon juice with the chicken.
Toasted Pine Nuts and Almonds - This gives an extra nutty crunch to this recipe.
Instructions
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
COOKING CHICKEN
Step 1 | Prepare chicken for roasting by seasoning the chicken, and placing it in a roasting pan. Keep the skin side up.
Step 2 | Roast chicken in a preheated oven at 350 F for 50-60 minutes. For extra brownish color place under the roaster for 2-4 minutes.
Cooking Onions
Step 3 | Chop onions finely.
Step 4 | In a pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat, then add chopped onions. Cook until onions are soft and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Then season with salt, black pepper, and sumac.
Assembling
Step 5 | With a spoon take some of the caramelized onions and spread over the bread. Then place it over the broiler for 2-3 minutes.
Step 6 | In a large platter place a piece of chicken over the bread and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and almonds.
Substitution and Variations
- You can use other types of onions, such as sweet onions or yellow onions, but I prefer red as they're less sweet and taste great with this dish.
- You can use whole chicken with this recipe, and cut it into 4-6 pieces or ask the butcher to cut it for you.
- You can use boneless chicken breast, slice it after baking, and place it over bread.
- Cornish chicken can work with this recipe, you can cut each chicken in half.
Expert Tips
- Tips for cutting onions without tears:
- Cut onions next to an open flame, such as a gas stove or candle lighting.
- Chilling onions by storing them in the fridge or giving them 30 minutes to blast in the freezer.
- Toast pine nuts under a broiler for 2-4 minutes, or in a skillet heat neutral or olive oil and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- You can marinate the chicken with the spices and keep it in the fridge overnight.
Storage and Reheating
- Leftover chicken and bread can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days
- To reheat the chicken, place it in a skillet add a few drops of water, cover, and lower the heat, for 4-5 minutes, or place in the microwave.
- For bread, place in a toaster oven and toast for 3 minutes.
FAQ
You can use portabella mushrooms or eggplants. Grill or saute separately with olive oil and sumac, then spread over bread and caramelized onions. Or you can make vegan musakhan rolls.
You can serve one of either of the following: Plain yogurt or cucumber yogurt salad which pairs well with musakhan or a basic cucumber and tomato salad.
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More Delicious Recipes
Chicken Musakhan
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Palestinian/Middle Eastern
- Diet: Halal
Description
Chicken Musakhan is a hugely popular national dish of Palestine. This delicious dish features seasoned roasted chicken placed over taboon bread covered with caramelized onions cooked in olive oil and spiced with sumac.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken legs
- 4 medium-sized flatbread
- ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil (keep about 2 tablespoons for the chicken)
- 3 red onions chopped
- 2 -3 tablespoons sumac (1 tablespoon for the onions and 1 for the chicken) and extra to sprinkle over bread.
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ black pepper
- ½ of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt (half for chicken and half for onions). Adjust to taste.
- ¼ cup of toasted and almond nuts
Instructions
- Prepare chicken for roasting, rub the chicken with olive, then add lemon juice season with spices, salt, and sumac, and mix well. Place in a roasting pan keeping the skin side up.
- Roast chicken in a preheated oven at 350 F for 50-60 minutes. For extra brownish color place under the roaster for 2-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop onions finely.
- In a pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat, then add chopped onions. Cook until onions are soft and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Then season with salt, black pepper, and sumac.
- With a spoon take some of the caramelized onions and spread over the bread. Then place it over the broiler for 2-3 minutes.
- When ready to serve, place a piece of chicken over the bread and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and almonds.
Notes
- Tips for cutting onions without tears:
- Cut onions next to an open flame, such as a gas stove or candle lighting.
- Chilling onions by storing them in the fridge or giving them 30 minutes to blast in the freezer.
- Toast pine nuts under a broiler for 2-4 minutes, or in a skillet heat neutral or olive oil and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- You can marinate the chicken with the spices and keep it in the fridge overnight.
Val says
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe! This was my first time trying Palestinian food and it won't be my last. Even made the Taboon! Only thing I did different was pour the chicken juices into the onions before dipping my bread in it to assemble. We served it with your Khyar Bi Laban and Fattoush recipes...both were perfect!
Wafa Shami says
Great, glad to hear that. Enjoy!
Jen says
This is so delicious!! Love this recipe 🇵🇸
Wafa Shami says
Great, glad to hear that Jen -:)