Musakhan is a classic Palestinian dish of roast chicken and soft sumac onions piled onto flatbread, finished with toasted pine nuts and the pan juices. It’s often called the national dish of Palestine, and it’s one of the meals I grew up eating in Jordan.
My Mom’s Musakhan, Learned from Auntie Anette
I grew up eating musakhan at home in Jordan. My mom learned it from our Palestinian neighbor, Auntie Anette, who made the best musakhan. I still remember going to her house for lunch when I was little, standing in her kitchen while she scooped the soft onions onto a fresh piece of taboon bread. She often brought us “our share” of whatever she cooked, because that’s what neighbors are like, and musakhan was often on the menu.
Every family makes it a little differently. Some simmer the chicken first and use the broth to soak the bread. My mom roasts the chicken straight in the oven, and that’s how I make it too. It’s simpler, and there are still plenty of juices left in the pan for the bread.
Musakhan is meant to be eaten with your hands. Pile everything on a big platter and tear off pieces of bread and chicken together.a
Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Musakhan
- It’s great for sharing. Pile the flatbread and chicken onto a large platter and let your friends and family start tearing off pieces. It’s always a hit!
- It’s quick to make. The entire dish can be made from start to finish in under an hour. Musakhan is perfect for a family meal or for serving at a dinner party!
- It’s a comforting meal. Musakhan is a hugely popular Palestinian comfort food dish. You can’t beat roasted chicken for a feel-good meal.
Ingredients In Musakhan
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Whole chicken: I use one that’s about 3 to 3½ pounds (1.5 kg), cut into 8 or 10 pieces. If you haven’t done it before, here’s my step-by-step guide to cutting up a whole chicken. Keep the bone in and the skin on for the most flavor.
- Baharat (7 spice): This is optional, but it adds lots of warm Middle Eastern flavor. It’s a blend of cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, coriander, cloves and cumin, and I have a recipe for homemade baharat.
- Olive oil: ¾ cup looks like a lot, but most of it goes into the onions and soaks into the bread with them.
- Yellow onions: Any onion works, but I use yellow onions for their mild flavor.
- Sumac: A deep red spice with a tart, lemony flavor, and the main flavor in this dish. Look for it in larger supermarkets, Middle Eastern grocery stores, or online. It’s also what gives fattoush salad its tang.
- Flatbread: Taboon is the traditional bread for musakhan. It’s baked in a special taboon oven and is hard to find in the US, so if you can’t get it, any flatbread or pita works. I usually use my homemade flatbread or yogurt flatbread. Naan is good too, and even tortillas will do in a pinch.
- Pine nuts or almonds: Toast them in a little neutral oil or ghee. We usually use blanched almonds (sometimes slivered), pine nuts, or both.
- Parsley and lemon wedges for serving, with plain yogurt on the side.
How to Make Musakhan
- Roast the chicken: Season the pieces with olive oil, baharat, salt and pepper, then roast them covered with foil until cooked through.
- Broil: Take off the foil and broil until the skin is golden. Save the pan juices for the bread.
- Toast the nuts: Toast them in a little neutral oil or ghee while the chicken roasts, and pull them out as soon as they’re light golden.
- Cook the onions: Cook them slowly in the rest of the olive oil until soft but not browned, then stir in the sumac off the heat.
- Assemble: Spread the onions over the flatbreads, top with the chicken, nuts and parsley, and drizzle with the pan juices.
Tip!
There’s a fine line between toasted nuts and burnt nuts, so keep an eye on them! If they get too dark, they’ll taste like it.
Musakhan Recipe Tips
- Season under the skin. Gently lift the skin and rub some seasoning underneath for more flavor.
- Make the onions ahead. Cook them up to 24 hours ahead, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, and warm them through before serving.
- Save the juices. Spoon the pan juices over the bread before you add the onions and chicken.
Storing and Reheating Musakhan
Store the chicken, the onions and the bread separately. If you put leftovers away already assembled, the bread soaks up the juices and turns soggy.
- Fridge: Keep the chicken and onions in airtight containers for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm the chicken uncovered in a 375°F (190°C) oven until hot, and warm the onions in a skillet. Heat the bread just before serving, then put everything together the same way you did the first time.
What to Serve with Musakhan
- Salads: My Middle Eastern tahini salad, Shirazi salad or fattoush all go well with it.
- Mezze: If you’re having people over, start with baba ganoush, tabbouleh, hummus and muhammara with warm pita.
- Dessert: Atayef, the stuffed pancakes often made during Ramadan, or awameh, sweet Middle Eastern dumplings. For something warm, try sahlab, a sweet, creamy milk drink.
- To drink: Lemon mint lemonade.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Musakhan (Sumac Roasted Chicken)
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 3 to 3½ pounds (1.5 kg), cut into 8 or 10 pieces
- ¾ cup (180 ml) olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoons 7 spice (baharat) optional
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil or ghee for toasting the nuts
- ¼ cup (40 g) nuts pine nuts or blanched, sliced, or silvered almonds
- 2 pounds (900 g) yellow onion diced
- 4 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sumac divided
- 5 small flatbreads
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish
- Lemon wedges for serving
- Plain yogurt for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Place the chicken in a roasting pan. Rub it with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with the baharat (if using), salt and pepper, lifting the skin to season underneath too.
- Cover with foil and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the thickest part of the thighs reaches 165°F (74°C). Check the breast and wings after 30 minutes and set them aside once they reach 165°F (74°C), so they don't overcook.
- Remove the foil, return any pieces you set aside, and broil for 5 to 10 minutes, until the skin is golden. Keep the juices in the pan for the bread.
- Meanwhile, heat the neutral oil or ghee in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the nuts and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until light golden. Move them to a plate right away, because they keep darkening as they sit. If you’re using pine nuts and almonds, toast them separately.
- Add the remaining olive oil and the onions to the skillet. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring now and then, for about 10 minutes, until soft and wilted but not browned. Take the skillet off the heat and stir in 4 tablespoons of the sumac.
- Place the flatbreads on a baking sheet and drizzle them with some of the pan juices. Spread the onions over the bread and top each one with 1 or 2 pieces of chicken. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon sumac, the toasted nuts and the parsley. Serve warm with lemon wedges and plain yogurt.
Notes:
- Make it Vegetarian-Friendly: Replace the chicken with thick slices of roasted eggplant or chunky cauliflower florets as a vegetarian alternative. Toss in the same spices as the chicken and roast at 425°F (220°C) for 25 minutes for the cauliflower and 35 minutes for the eggplant. Serve the vegetables with the flatbread in the same way you would with the chicken.
- Sumac can be sourced at most Middle Eastern stores or specialty retailers in the spice section. You can also find it online.
- Store the chicken and onions separately from the bread, in airtight containers in the fridge, for up to 3 days. Reheat the chicken uncovered in a 375°F (190°C) oven and the onions in a skillet, then assemble on warm bread.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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Recipe FAQs
This dish is traditionally eaten with your hands. Tear off a piece of bread and pull off some juicy tender chicken from the bone and enjoy! Eating it with your hands is ultimately easier than with a fork and knife.
Sumac is the best choice for this recipe, but if you can’t get your hands on some and would still like to try making the dish, you can try using lemon zest or lemon pepper seasoning. It won’t have the same flavor but will still give you a lemony tang.
Any flatbread or pita works. I usually use my homemade flatbread, and naan is good too. Warm the bread before you add the onions so it’s soft and soaks up the juices.
Yes, bone-in, skin-on thighs work well. Making musakhan with thighs is how my one-pan sumac chicken thighs recipe started, so follow that one if you want a weeknight version. Cook thighs until the thickest part reaches 175 to 185°F (79 to 85°C) for the most tender meat.
While using chicken is the traditional way to make this recipe, you can replace it with thick slices of roasted eggplant or chunky cauliflower florets as a vegetarian alternative. Toss in the same spices as the chicken and roast at 425°F/200°C for 25 minutes for the cauliflower and 35 minutes for the eggplant. Serve the vegetables with the flatbread in the same way you would with the chicken.
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