Musakhan is a simple and flavorful chicken and bread dish from Palestine that is sure to impress. Tender chicken slow-cooked with warm spices, then served over sumac onions spread on warm flatbreads and topped with pine nuts and parsley is a treat to relish!
Table of Contents
Musakhan - A Palestinian Dish
One dish that gloriously represents the culture, warmth and hospitality of Palestine is Musakhan. It is elegant, delicious and a popular comfort food. No wonder it is known as the national dish of Palestine!
To make musakhan, chicken is slowly cooked with a blend of warm spices before being grilled, fried, or broiled to perfection. Meanwhile, onions are sautéed with sumac and high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
The sautéed onions are spread generously on freshly baked flatbreads, topped with the succulent chicken, and roasted in the oven until the chicken turns golden brown and crispy on top, while the onions continue to cook. Finally, toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley are added to create a delectable mix of flavors and textures.
Musakhan is a highly coveted street food and a staple at festive occasions. Its name, which means "warmed" or "heated" in Arabic, not only reflects the warmth of its ingredients but also the hospitable nature of the region. Like chicken kabsa, which is also enjoyed with company.
In essence, musakhan is a celebration of contrasting flavors and textures, with juicy roasted chicken, fragrant onions, fluffy bread, crunchy pine nuts, and fresh herbs all harmoniously coming together.
Why You Will Love This Chicken Musakhan
This musakhan recipe offers a one-pan solution that simplifies the traditional multi-step process without compromising on authentic flavor.
Instead of cooking the onions separately, they are cooked together with the chicken, allowing the chicken juices to infuse the onions with rich flavor. These same juices can also be used to brush the flatbreads, eliminating the need for a separate chicken stock.
This recipe provides two cooking methods, stove-top or oven, for added flexibility and convenience.
For those looking to put a modern twist on this classic dish, I also offer variations and tips, such as transforming it into musakhan rolls or even a musakhan pizza, so you can enjoy the flavors of musakhan in exciting new ways.
Recipe Ingredients
Here are some notes about ingredients and substitutes.
- Chicken: I recommend using bone-in chicken, with leg quarters being the best option. However, thighs and drumsticks or even Cornish chicken halves are also suitable. To retain the chicken's juiciness and achieve a crispy texture when roasting, I suggest keeping the skin on.
- Extra virgin olive oil: The star ingredient in this dish, and it's important to use the best quality olive oil available since the recipe requires a substantial amount. Traditional musakhan should leave your hands dripping with oil while eating!
- Yellow onions: These are perfect for their intense flavor, which mellows out and complements the sumac flavor and color. Some recipes call for a combination of red and yellow onions.
- Spices: I use a homemade baharat spice blend, consisting of cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, cumin etc. Alternatively, I provide a ratio of spices in the recipe card. The warm spices infuse an intense flavor into the dish.
- Sumac: This is a coarse powder made by grinding reddish-purple berries from the sumac bush. It adds bright color and a tangy, lemony flavor to the dish. Both sumac and baharat are available online and at Middle Eastern grocery stores.
- Toasted pine nuts: These are typically used to garnish musakhan, although sliced or slivered almonds can be used as a substitute.
- Bread: Traditionally, thick Levantine flatbread called Taboon, baked in a clay oven, is used. However, thicker flatbreads like Greek pita bread (without the pocket), naan, or other similar options can be used.
How To Make Musakhan
Brief overview below. *Full recipe at the end of blog post.
- Season chicken with salt, baharat, black pepper, and sumac.
- Sear chicken on both sides over high heat, then transfer to a plate.
- Cook chopped onions in the same skillet on low-medium until soft and translucent, but not burnt or crispy.
- Add remaining spice mix, garlic, and cook. Pour in some water, and arrange seared chicken in skillet. Continue on stove top or transfer to oven as in step 6.
- Cook on low-medium heat until chicken is well done. Remove the lid and broil until chicken is golden brown on top.
- Alternatively transfer dish without lid to oven and bake until chicken is tender and golden brown on top.
- Assemble musakhan by arranging pita breads on a baking sheet, spreading sumac onions, and adding chicken leg or shredded chicken. Broil for 3-4 minutes and garnish with nuts, sumac, parsley, olive oil, and lemon wedges. Or simply make musakhan rolls and bake.
Top Tips
To cook this dish, either a flat and wide oven-proof casserole dish or a deep and wide skillet can be used on both the stove and in the oven.
The amount of water required when cooking onions on the stove will vary depending on the type of dish used. For a flat and wide casserole dish, approximately ½ cup of water is sufficient due to the condensation that adds moisture back to the dish. However, for a deeper pot, more water may be necessary.
Cook the chicken until it is tender but still retains its shape when transferred to a plate or baking sheet for roasting.
Be sure to use a generous amount of sumac and baharat spice blend, while maintaining a balance between the tartness of sumac and the warm and aromatic flavor of baharat. Too much baharat will result in a dish that is too dark in appearance.
When cooking the onions, keep a watchful eye to prevent burning. Take your time and allow the onions to cook thoroughly, giving them time to develop their flavor.
After cooking the onions, drain them in a colander before spreading them on the bread. In traditional recipes, the bread is brushed with chicken juices, but since these sumac onions were cooked with chicken, they will have their own juices. Therefore, there is no need to brush the juices.
Spread the sumac onions on the flatbread as a thick and chunky layer, being careful to keep the juices to a minimum to avoid making the bread soggy.
How To Serve
Musakhan is a meal all by itself. But you can add a lot more things to the table depending on the occasion. Also, definitely pay attention to the presentation. It is a dish that looks as good as it tastes! Make it a centerpiece and enjoy it with family and friends.
- Traditional Style: Sumac onions are spread as a thick layer on flatbreads. Then cooked chicken is arranged on it and topped with pine nuts and fresh parsley. This is simply eaten by hands. A piece of flatbread is torn from the side and used to grab a piece of chicken with onions and enjoyed.
- Sides: Some sides you can add to make it a bigger meal, are Mediterranean Bean Salad, Moroccan Carrot Salad or Butter Bean Mash.
- Beverages: Add delicious Sahlab or Saffron Tea to the menu.
- Desserts: Finish it off with Baklava or Date Walnut Dessert.
Meal Prep/ Storage
- You can make the sumac onions up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. Season the chicken a day ahead and refrigerate.
- Musakhan can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but the bread base may become a little soggy. To restore its crispiness, it's recommended to reheat it in the oven or toaster oven.
- This dish also freezes well. You can freeze the assembled musakhan wrapped in parchment paper and packed in freezer-safe bags, or freeze the individual components separately - onions, chicken, and bread.
Variations
Musakhan is high protein, egg free, soy free and dairy free. Below are some suggestions you can try but I have not tested some of them.
- Gluten Free: Try using gluten free flatbreads.
- Vegan or Vegetarian: To enjoy musakhan without using chicken, roast eggplant, cauliflower or shiitake mushrooms with spices and olive oil at 450°F for 35 minutes, 400°F for 25 minutes, and 400°F for 10 minutes, respectively. Arrange the roasted veggies on top of sumac onion-topped flatbread for a delicious meal.
- Low Carb: Use a low carb flatbread and top it with the sauteed onions, as we did for the French onion low carb pizza.
- Nut Free: Skip pine nuts or replace with toasted sunflower seeds.
- Musakhan Rolls or Wraps: Here's a tasty variation that's convenient and easy to serve, store, and enjoy - perfect for a delicious lunch! I recommend using thin flatbreads and deboning the chicken, then shredding it. Spread the sumac onions on the flatbread, top with shredded chicken, pine nuts, and parsley, roll it up, and voila - a delicious meal!
- Musakhan Pizza: Adding cheese to flatbreads is a popular option, so why not try topping your musakhan with shredded gouda, cheddar, or mozzarella? Use shredded chicken instead of chicken pieces, sprinkle the cheese on top, and toast it until it melts - delicious!
- Panini Wraps or Hot Sandwiches: A fun and modern twist would be to use the sumac onions, chicken and toasted nuts as the filling between slices of bread or flatbread. Add some shredded cheese if you like. And then grill it.
Recipe FAQs
To achieve the best flavor and texture, it's recommended to use bone-in skin-on chicken for making musakhan. Chicken breast is an option, but it won't match the juiciness and tenderness of bone-in chicken. The chicken skin also contributes to the dish's deliciousness by providing a nice roasted flavor and texture.
Use a combination of 1 teaspoon all spice, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground cloves and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
If you don't mind using more pans to cook this, then bake the seasoned chicken on a baking sheet. Cook the onions separately. Alternatively, you could cook the chicken with water and spices until well done, then broil it separately to achieve a golden brown color.
More Flatbread Recipes
- Keema Naan (Meat Stuffed Naan)
- Whole Wheat Pita Bread
- Spinach Feta Pan Pizza
- Skillet Flatbreads
★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
Musakhan (Sumac Chicken Onion Flatbread)
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons salt adjust per taste
- 1½ tablespoons baharat see notes for substitute
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons sumac plus more
- 3 pounds chicken legs bone-in, skin-on, or thighs and drumsticks
- 6 tablespoons olive oil plus more
- 3 large yellow onions coarsely chopped, 700g
- 2 garlic cloves grated, optional
- ⅓ cup pine nuts or slivered almonds, toasted
- Salt to taste
- 6 to 8 Flatbreads Greek pita, naan or taboon
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 Lemon for juice and wedges
Instructions
Sumac Onion Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine salt, baharat, black pepper, and sumac and use half the mix to season the chicken. Ensure that you rub the seasoning in well, including under the skin.
- Heat olive oil in a cast iron casserole dish or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken legs, placing them skin side down and turn up the heat to high. Sear the chicken quickly for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown, then flip and repeat on the other side. Avoid cooking at low heat to prevent under-searing and cooking the inside prematurely. Transfer the seared chicken to a plate.
- Lower the heat to low-medium and add chopped onions to the same skillet. Cook until softened, translucent, but not burnt, stirring occasionally for about 20 to 25 minutes. If needed, add a tablespoon of water at a time to prevent burning.
- Add the remaining spice mix and grated garlic to the skillet and saute until aromatic, about 1 minute. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Pour in ½ cup of water and raise the heat until it begins to bubbles. Arrange the seared chicken legs in the skillet, skin side up.
- The next steps can be done either on the stove or in the oven.
On Stove Top
- Reduce the heat to low-medium, cover with a lid, and cook until chicken is well done and fork-tender, about 40 minutes. Check in between and add more water if needed, couple tablespoons at a time.
- When the chicken is cooked, remove the lid and place the dish in the top rack of the oven. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes on high until the chicken is golden brown on top.
In Oven (alternate method)
- If you prefer, you can transfer the dish to the oven and bake it uncovered for around 45 minutes until the chicken is tender inside and golden brown on top. Check occasionally and add more water if needed, couple tablespoons at a time.
- After 30 minutes, check if the chicken is browning too quickly on top, in which case you can cover it with foil to prevent further browning.
- Once cooked, remove the skillet from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Assemble Musakhan (3 ways)
- Drain the cooked onions using a colander.
- Arrange pita breads on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil.
- Then spread a thick layer of sumac onions and top with a chicken leg and thigh on each bread. Broil in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Finish off by garnishing with toasted nuts, sumac, parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, and lemon wedges.
- Alternatively, using a fork debone the chicken and shred the meat. Arrange the shredded chicken on top of the sumac onion layer.
- For rolls or wraps, use thin pita bread or lavash, spread a layer of sumac onions, and top it with shredded chicken. Roll it up, place it on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil, and bake for 10 minutes.
Notes
- Baharat Substitute: Use a combination of 1 teaspoon all spice, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground cloves and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Sumac, baharat and pine nuts are available at middle eastern stores or online.
- To cook this dish, either a flat and wide oven-proof casserole dish or a deep and wide skillet can be used on both the stove and in the oven.
- Meal Prep: You can make the sumac onions up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. Season the chicken a day ahead and refrigerate.
- Storage:
- Musakhan can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but the bread base may become a little soggy. To restore its crispiness, it's recommended to reheat it in the oven or toaster oven.
- This dish also freezes well. You can freeze the assembled musakhan wrapped in parchment paper and packed in freezer-safe bags, or freeze the individual components separately - onions, chicken, and bread.
- Nutrition facts without added salt. Note that some sumac brands have added salt.
- Check blog post above for more tips, variations, and FAQs, etc.
Nutrition
More Middle Eastern Recipes
This post was first published on March 13, 2016 and has been updated with improvements in pictures, tips, FAQs and additional enhancements.
Crystal
This looks amazing! Do you think the dough could be made a few days in advance and "cooked" to order, or maybe even the flatbreads themselves can be made in advance?
Roxana Begum
Thanks. It is a pizza type dough, so can be made in advance and refrigerated. It needs to be thawed to room temperature before rolling and baking. And the flatbreads can be made baked in advance as well.
Alicia
Is cardamom essential to this dish it wasn’t available at my grocery store. Thank you
Roxana Begum
It is for flavoring the chicken. You can perhaps use another spice you use for chicken.
Bet Ellis
I made this as written and everybody absolutely loved it.
It was so favorable & delicious. I had never used sumac before but
will definitely use it in the future.
Thank you for this recipe.
Manny
I do the caramelized sumac onion the same way. But, I bake the chicken spiced with the olive oil covered, then broil it for few till golden brown. I add the sumac onion mixed. Separately, I bake the bread moist with broth and olive oil, I place chicken over each loaf, sumac onion mix, roasted pine nuts, parsley in that order. Serve while it's hot.
Roxana Begum
Thanks so much Manny for sharing your ideas. That will be certainly helpful.
Q S
Thanks for this ! It was an amazing dish and experience using sumac for the first time at home. We will be making it again. We tried it like a pizza with your onions and chicken as a topping with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese thinking the kids would like it better, but we all actually the liked your original better, even the kids. Thank you a again !
Roxana Begum
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback. I am absolutely thrilled to know that even the kids liked it - that's the best feedback ever :) I also like the onions and chicken version with some cheese on it.
Natalie
The first time I tasted musakhan I immediately fell in love - it's such a delicious dish, which has become a favorite automatically :) Your look so good! I never tried making it myself, but this recipe looks like something I may be able to do :)
Roxana Begum
Thanks Natalie. I agree with you 100 percent. I appreciate your feedback!!
Camila
Absolutely love all of these flavors!! Truly soul food!!!
Roxana Begum
Thanks Camila. Happy you like it.
Lisa Bynum
I have never tried anything like this! It looks so delicious.
Roxana Begum
So glad :)
Suzy
Love Musakhan! More people should really try it.
Roxana Begum
Absolutely ;)
Valentina
I've never heard of Musakhan -- it's sounds incredibly flavorful and delicious. I love all of those warm spices.
Roxana Begum
Its kind of like a middle eastern pizza with onions and spices, no cheese. But very tasty.