A traditional Palestinian favorite
For most Palestinians Musakhan is a great favorite! This gorgeous dish is made up of fluffy Taboon bread under roasted chicken and sprinkled with ruby colored spices and onions, pine nuts and slivered almonds and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. It’s a major comfort food! And luckily its also quite easy to make, there are different ways to do it, but we’ll share with you one delicious way! (Also the spices amount is for references you can also add more to adjust to your taste).
Ingredients for about 4 helpings:
2 large onions chopped(not too finely)
1 – 2 cups of Olive Oil
1/3 cup Sea of herbs sumac
1/4 tsp Sea of herbs cardamom
1/4 tsp Sea of herbs black pepper
Sprinkle Salt (as much as you prefer, but keep in mind sumac is sour)
2 Taboon bread or if you can find any about 4 to 5 fresh plain naan bread will do well.
Chicken breast and thighs on the bone with skin or if you prefer boneless chicken breast use that, but it will have less flavor and moisture.
For toppings before serving:
Pine nuts
Halved or slivered peeled almonds
Fresh chopped parsley
Extra sumac
Method:
First, wash chicken with water and some lemon juice and then place in a deep dish for roasting in the oven. Before putting it in the oven, season the chicken with salt, pepper, cardamom, and half the olive oil you plan to use and add a little water. Roast in the oven until cooked.
Next, peel and chop your onions in the remaining olive oil in a frying pan. Sprinkle some pepper, cardamom, and salt and then sumac. Don’t brown them, just caramelize them over low heat and soften them. Keep to the side once done for assembling the dish later.
In a shallow frying pan, add some oil and cook the nuts until golden, its best to do the pine nuts and almonds separately as the pine nuts burn faster.
Now we are ready to plate the dish onto a round (or any shape you’ve got) oven pan. Put the oven on broil.
Remove your chicken from the deep dish and set aside. Get your bread or breads and submerge in the juice/oil of the chicken and then place on a round oven tray. Spread a generous amount of the onion mix on top the bread and then place chicken on top. Sprinkle nuts and sumac on top and then place it under the oven on broil for a few minutes. Take out of oven, and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy. You can also add a small dish of greek yogurt if you like to accompany this dish.