Chicken Musakhan

Sumac-roasted chicken over taboon bread saturated with sweet olive-oil onions, finished with toasted pine nuts.

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Palestinian musakhan celebrates olive oil and sumac. The bread should absorb the onion juices yet retain a few crisp edges, while the chicken roasts separately so its skin can brown properly.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg Bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks (skin on)
• 2 tsp Fine salt (divided)
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp Ground allspice
• 0.5 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp Ground cumin
• 5 tbsp Sumac (divided)
• 180 ml Extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
• 6 large Onions (thinly sliced)
• 4 Taboon bread or large flatbreads
• 60 g Pine nuts (toasted)
• 20 g Fresh parsley (chopped)
• 1 Lemon wedges (to serve)

Step-by-step method

1. Heat the oven to 210°C conventional or 190°C fan. Pat chicken dry and rub with 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cumin, 2 tablespoons sumac and 2 tablespoons oil.
2. Arrange skin-side up on a rack over a roasting tray and roast for 40 to 45 minutes. The skin should be browned and the thickest piece must reach 75°C without touching bone.
3. While chicken roasts, heat remaining oil in a wide pan over medium-low. Add onions and remaining salt and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and golden but not crisp.
4. Remove onions from heat and stir in remaining sumac. Taste: they should be sweet, tangy and well seasoned. Reserve roughly 4 tablespoons of the red onion oil.
5. Lay breads on a clean baking tray, brush with reserved onion oil and spread with most of the onions. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes until hot and the edges begin to crisp.
6. Arrange roasted chicken on the onion breads and spoon remaining onions over it. Return to the oven for 5 minutes so the flavours join without drying the chicken.
7. Scatter pine nuts and parsley over the platter and add an extra pinch of sumac. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, warning diners about bones and the hot oil-soaked bread.