Palestinian · main
Musakhan (Sumac Chicken on Taboon Bread)
Musakhan (Sumac Chicken on Taboon Bread) reads citrus 5.7, sourness 5.6 and richness 4.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Palestinian main, about 2 hr 20 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 4.4 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 5.4 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 7.4 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 1.8 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 6.0 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 3.0 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Citrus 5.7 · Sourness 5.6 · Richness 4.8 · Fruity 4.7 · Nutty 4.2 · Salinity 3.8 · Umami 3.5 · Warm Spice 2.5 · Sweetness 2.4 · Funk & Ferment 2.3 · Allium 2.3 · Herbaceous 2.0 · Floral 1.9 · Bitterness 1.6 · Earthy 1.2 · Heat 0.5
What's in it (15)
- chicken — 1600 g
- onions — 1000 g
- extra virgin olive oil — 138 g
- sumac — 74 g
- ground allspice — 7 g
- ground cardamom — 5 g
- ground cinnamon — 3 g
- salt — 10 g
- freshly ground black pepper — 5 g
- lemon — 80 g
- taboon breads — 400 g
- pine nuts — 80 g
- unsalted butter — 30 g
- plain yogurt — 300 g
- flat-leaf parsley — 20 g
Time & effort: about 2 hr 20 min (1 hr 20 min active) · effort: involved
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 92.2 kcal, 8.4 g protein, 5.7 g fat, 3.9 g carbs
Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (9 steps)
- This is the Palestinian national dish and it is made in autumn, when the olive oil is new and green and the sumac has just been ground. Use a great deal of both; the quantities below are not a mistake.
- Rub the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of the sumac, the allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the black pepper and the lemon juice. Leave to marinate 1 hour at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat, add the onions and the remaining salt, and cook 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until they are completely soft, sweet and pale gold — not browned and not crisp. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the sumac and cook 2 minutes more, until the onions turn purple-brown and the pan smells sharply of citrus.
- Heat the oven to 200°C. Put the chicken pieces skin side up in a roasting tin, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, and roast 35 to 40 minutes until the skin is crisp and the juices at the thigh joint run clear.
- Toast the pine nuts in the butter over medium heat for 3 minutes until golden, and set aside.
- Warm the taboon breads and lay them on a large platter, tearing them where needed so they cover it. Spoon over most of the sumac onions along with the oil they cooked in, letting the bread soak it up — a dry musakhan is a failed one.
- Arrange the chicken on top, pour over any roasting juices, and spoon the remaining onions over the pieces. Drizzle with the last of the olive oil and dust with the reserved tablespoon of sumac.
- Scatter with the pine nuts and parsley. Serve with yoghurt on the side, and eat with your hands, tearing off bread with each piece of chicken.
- Substitutions: large pita breads (400 g) can stand in for the taboon breads.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- Harissa Chicken and Chickpea Sheet Pan — Middle Eastern
- Crispy Za'atar Chicken Thighs — Middle Eastern
- Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage — Italian
- Chicken Karaage — Japanese
- Stuffed Bell Peppers with Couscous, Chickpeas, and Feta — Mediterranean
Keep reading: what citrus, sourness, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.