Musakhan

Palestinian roasted chicken with olive oil, caramelised onions and sumac on taboon bread

Origin: Jordan Valley & West Bank, Palestine

From the journey of Olive.

Musakhan is considered the national dish of Palestine, and it is, at its core, a celebration of olive oil. The Jordan Valley and the hills of the West Bank have been olive country since at least 6000 BCE; ancient press installations carved into limestone, stone weights, and clay vessels have been found across the region, testifying to an unbroken continuity of olive cultivation that is among the oldest in the world. In Palestinian cuisine, olive oil is not merely a cooking fat: it is the primary flavouring, the carrier of terroir, the thing that makes one family's kitchen recognisably different from another's. Musakhan concentrates this philosophy. Chicken pieces are slow-roasted until tender, then piled onto taboon bread: the flatbread of the Levant, cooked against the hot clay walls of a taboon oven; that has been drenched first in the fragrant, herb-scented olive oil left behind by the long caramelisation of three or four onions per person. Sumac, the brilliant crimson berry ground to a sour-fruity powder, cuts through the richness. Pine nuts and fried onion rings finish the dish. Musakhan is eaten with the hands, tearing the bread into the chicken and onion beneath, each piece soaked through with oil. The olive oil used should be Palestinian if possible; oil from the Jordan Valley or the Nablus hills has a grassy, slightly peppery character that no other oil quite replicates.

Ingredients

Chicken

1.4 kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces (or 4 bone-in thighs and 4 drumsticks)
120 ml Palestinian or good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp ground sumac
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp fine sea salt

Onions

1 kg white onions, halved and thinly sliced
100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tbsp ground sumac

To Serve

4 taboon breads or large flatbreads (or substitute with pita or naan)
50 g pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan until golden
1 tbsp ground sumac, extra to finish
fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly torn

Method

Mix together the olive oil, sumac, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper and salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat thoroughly. Leave to marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 12 hours.
Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / gas 6. Spread the marinated chicken pieces on a roasting tray in a single layer and roast for 40–45 minutes, until deeply golden and the juices run clear. Reserve any roasting juices from the pan.
While the chicken roasts, make the sumac onions. Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly, stirring every few minutes, for 35–40 minutes until deeply soft, golden, and beginning to caramelise. Stir in the sumac and cook for a further 2 minutes.
To assemble: lay the flatbreads on a large baking tray. Spoon the sumac onions generously over the breads, covering them completely. Drizzle over any chicken roasting juices. Place in the oven for 5–7 minutes to warm through and allow the oil to soak into the bread.
Transfer the soaked flatbreads to a large platter or wooden board. Pile the roasted chicken pieces on top of the onion-covered bread. Scatter with toasted pine nuts, an extra dusting of sumac, and torn flat-leaf parsley.

Notes

The quality of the olive oil is critical; use the best Palestinian or high-quality single-estate extra-virgin oil you can find. Sumac is available in Middle Eastern grocers and many supermarkets. Taboon bread (also called marquq or shrak in some regions) is a large, thin flatbread; pita or good naan works as a substitute. Traditionally, musakhan is made for the olive harvest celebration in October and November, when the new oil is first pressed.

The Gastrographer

Name: Musakhan
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Palestine
Ingredients: 1.4 kg chicken, jointed into 8 pieces (or 4 bone-in thighs and 4 drumsticks); 120 ml Palestinian or good-quality extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tbsp ground sumac; 1 tsp ground allspice; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; ½ tsp ground black pepper; 1 tsp fine sea salt; 1 kg white onions, halved and thinly sliced; 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 1½ tbsp ground sumac; 4 taboon breads or large flatbreads (or substitute with pita or naan); 50 g pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan until golden; 1 tbsp ground sumac, extra to finish; fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly torn

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control