Musakhan is a wonderful Palestinian-inspired recipe with sumac spiced chicken legs served on flatbread topped with caramelised red onions.
This recipe takes around an hour and a half to make, but most of that time getting the onions beautifully caramelised, which can be done in advance.
Sumac Chicken and Caramelised Onion Flatbreads
Since I returned to the UK I’ve been intrigued by the “explosion” of dishes on pub menus that feature a load of stuff piled onto flatbreads… I must say I approve.
Flatbreads are an essential part of so many cuisines, whether it is the pita bread I use in my lamb arayes recipe, the chapatis that I serve with so many of my curry recipes or tortillas that I use in my beer-battered fish tacos.
Chicken musakhan is a Palestinian dish that makes me incredibly excited because it uses many of my favourite ingredients.
The base of musakhan is flatbread which gets a topping of some slowly caramelised red onions. Then in my version, chicken legs are roasted in a spice mix that is heavy on sumac, but also features, cumin, allspice and cinnamon.
Finally some fried pine nuts and loads of fresh parsley complete one of the most scoffable dishes I’ve worked on in a while.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, you can do lots of the work for this musakhan recipe days in advance, then all you need to do is reheat and put together the final touches.
The chicken can be cooked and chilled in the fridge for a couple of days and reheated in the oven or air fryer.
The caramelised onions will be fine in the fridge for up to a week. Then all you need to do is reheat everything and toast the flatbreads and the pine nuts.
Can I cook the chicken in an air fryer?
Yes, the chicken cooks fantastically in the air fryer, although it does make it a bit of a mess, which is fine if you have a dishwasher.
Be sure not to skip the step where you add the fat from the cooked chicken back into the onions.
What sort of flatbread should I use?
This recipe is traditionally served with a flatbread called taboon. I usually use whatever flatbread takes my fancy in the supermarket.
Do I have to use pine nuts?
No, I get it, pine nuts are expensive, I use them here because I love them and a little treat does no harm on occasion.
This recipe works really well with toasted shelled sunflower seeds as well.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken musakhan is a street food dish and it is a “light” in terms of volume but a complete meal.
It is quite often served with a wedge of lime and some yoghurt, I’ve given the yoghurt a bit of lift with some pomegranate molasses. It works perfectly with the spice mix on the roasted chicken legs.
A little salad on the side can freshen up this spice-heavy recipe, don’t worry though, it is not spicy! I would usually rustle up a quick minty Shirazi salad but this chickpea salad would work well too.
If you wanted something a little heartier to pair with this recipe, my take on batata harra potatoes would be perfect.
Equipment Used
I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But, if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- Oven.
- Small baking dish or tray.
- 20cm or 8″ frying pan.
- 28cm or 11″ frying pan (not nonstick).
- 30cm or 12″ frying pan.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Serving and serving spoons.
- Kitchen tongs.
- Mixing bowl.
- A combination of weighing scales, measuring cups and spoons.
Musakhan Sumac Spiced Chicken with Flatbread Recipe
Musakhan is a Palestinian street food, my version adapts it for home cooking and it features sumac roasted chicken legs served on a toasted flatbread topped with caramelised red onions and fried pine nuts... and it tastes every bit as good as those things sound!
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Legs
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- ½ Tsp Salt
- 2 Middle Eastern Flatbreads
- Lots of Parsley for Garnish
- Lemon Wedges to Serve
For the Caramelised Onions:
- 500g (2-3 Medium-Large) Red Onions
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
For the Spice Mix:
- 1½ Tbsp Sumac
- ½ Tbsp Ground Cumin
- ¼ Tsp Ground Allspice
- ¼ Tsp Black Pepper
- ⅛ Tsp Ground Cinnamon
For the Pine Nuts:
- ½ Tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 Tbsp (25-30g) Pine Nuts
Instructions
- Top and tail the onions, cut them in half, peel them, then cut them into 10-12mm (½") thick strips.
- Heat the one tablespoon of cooking oil in a 28cm or 11" (not nonstick) frying pan over a low-medium heat, add the onions and slowly caramelise for at least an hour, 90 minutes is better. Stir the onions every 15 minutes or so, you are looking to get some beautifully soft caramelized onions but take care not to burn them. You may need to add a splash of water towards the end of the cooking process for the onions to remove any "fond" from the base of the pan.
- Add all of the ingredients for the since mix to a bowl and mix well.
- Around 40-45 minutes before the onions have finished make 3-4 deep slits across the chicken legs, place them in a baking dish, pour over the olive oil then season with half of the spice mix and the salt. Massage into the slits thoroughly. Transfer the chicken to the oven and cook at 180°C or 350°F on fan mode and cook for 35-40 minutes.
- Approximately 5 minutes before the chicken is ready heat a small (20cm or 8") frying pan over a medium heat, add the oil for the pine nuts and the pine nuts and toast them until they are golden.
- Heat a 30cm or 12" frying pan over a high heat and toast the flatbreads for a minute or two on each side.
- Finally, remove the chicken from the oven, pour the roasting juices into the onions, sprinkle in the remaining spice mix, and stir before building the dish.
Start with the flatbread, spoon over the onions followed by the chicken, sprinkle over the pinenuts and parsley, then get stuck in.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1121Total Fat: 54gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 38gCholesterol: 328mgSodium: 1476mgCarbohydrates: 87gFiber: 11gSugar: 16gProtein: 77g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.