Palestinian Chicken Musakhan. Musakhan is the national dish of Palestine! Musakhan is a super unique and flavorful Arabic dish made of sumac spiced chicken, red onions, and served on top of a huge flatbread.
Arabic food is by far my most favorite type of food to eat. It is always filled with so much flavor, and it's oh so satisfying. But, most Arabic food takes forever to make. If you know, you know.
This musakhan recipe is great not only because of flavor, but because you can make it in about an hour!
Musakhan in Arabic: مسخّن
Musakhan pronunciation in Arabic: "Moo-saaah-kk-han"
My Authentic Musakhan Recipe is:
- Delicious Palestinian chicken recipe
- Made with tangy sumac spice
- Great Arabic recipe to make for a big family
- Made in 1 hour!
WHAT IS THE NATIONAL DISH OF PALESTINE?
The national dish of Palestine is Musakhan! Crispy sumac spiced chicken served on top of flavorful sumac red onions. All piled on a very thin bread called shrak (also called markook bread).
WHAT KIND OF SPICE IS SUMAC?
Sumac is a very unique spice! I'm trying to think.. what spice is similar to sumac? To me it almost reminds me of tangy lemon flavor. Sumac is incredibly delicious!
TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST DELICIOUS ARABIC MUSAKHAN
USE BONE IN AND SKIN ON CHICKEN. For delicious juicy sumac chicken, make sure to buy bone in chicken and leave the skins on during baking to get the crispy outside.
USE HIGH QUALITY SPICES. As I say in most of my recipes, the spice is what takes a dish from 8/10 to 10/10. Always get the best and most fresh spices.
USE RED ONIONS. Musakhan is a signature dish made with red onions, not white or yellow.
DON'T FORGET THE BREAD! Head to your local Arabic market to grab some shrak (also called markook) bread. The next best thing if you don't have an Arabic market is naan bread or even pita bread.
FAQ'S
Frequently asked questions about Arabic baked sumac chicken.
WHAT IS MUSAKHAN MADE OF?
Musakhan is a delicious sumac chicken recipe that is made with chicken tossed in sumac, cumin and other spices. Then, the chicken is served on top of soft cooked red onions and a shrak/markook flat bread.
HOW DO YOU COOK SUMAC?
Sumac is excellent cooked on chicken with some other spices like cumin and 7 spices along with oil. Chicken sumac is cooked in the oven for 45 -60 minutes.
CAN I MAKE THIS PALESTINIAN MUSAKHAN RECIPE WITH CHICKEN BREAST?
Yes! You can make it with chicken breast, but keep in mind that chicken breast will never be quite as juicy as chicken leg or thigh because it is white meat and not dark meat.
HOW DO I MAKE MUSAKHAN ROLLS INSTEAD?
Add the spiced red onions (cooked already) along with the baked sumac chicken (removed from the bone), then add them to a pita or naan bread. Drizzle with a bit of plain yogurt. Roll it up and eat!
This is also an excellent way to use up musakhan leftovers.
WHAT IS THE MOST POPULAR FOOD IN PALESTINE?
Some more popular foods in Palestine are falafel, sfiha (Arabic pizza), hummus, and kofta/ grilled meat.
More Palestinian Recipes:
Looking to make some Arabic dessert? Try my Arabic Walnut Baklava!
WATCH HOW I MADE DELICIOUS EASY MUSAKHAN
HOW TO MAKE PALESTINIAN MUSAKHAN
How to bake the sumac chicken
- In a baking dish, add a mixture of 8 chicken legs and thighs, with their bone-in and the skin still on.
- Drizzle chicken with 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- Sprinkle 4 tablespoons sumac, ½ tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon 7 spices, and 1 teaspoon sea salt across the top of the chicken.
- Mix chicken around pan to evenly coat each piece.
- Bake chicken for 45-60 minutes with the skin side up.
- Broil on high for the last 5-10 minutes of baking for crispy topped chicken.
How to make the sumac spiced red onions
- In a large frying pan or wok, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add 4 large sliced red onions.
- Add 4 tablespoons sumac, ½ tablespoon cumin, 2 teaspoons 7 spices, 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir to evenly coat the red onions with the spices.
- Cook onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally until they are very soft.
How to serve musakhan
- Line a large serving platter with 2 shrak breads.
- Add the soft red onions and spread around the pan evenly.
- Add the crispy sumac chicken.
- Sprinkle toasted pine nuts and parsley across the top.
- This is a family style recipe meant to be eaten right from the tray so put it at the center of the table where everyone can reach!
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Authentic Palestinian Musakhan (مسخّن)
Equipment
- 9 x 12 baking pan
- Wok or other large frying pan
- Large serving platter
Ingredients
For the sumac roasted chicken:
- 8 pieces chicken legs & thighs (bone-in & skin-on)
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoon sumac
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Arabic 7 spices
- 1 teaspoon pink sea salt
For the sumac spiced red onions:
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 lg red onions (or 8 small red onions)
- 4 tablespoon sumac
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon Arabic 7 spices
- 1 teaspoon pink sea salt
To serve:
- Shrak bread
- Pine nuts, toasted in ghee
- Parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to bake the sumac chicken
- In a baking dish, add a mixture of 8 chicken legs and thighs, with their bone-in and the skin still on.
- Drizzle chicken with 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- Sprinkle 4 tablespoons sumac, ½ tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon 7 spices, and 1 teaspoon sea salt across the top of the chicken.
- Mix chicken around pan to evenly coat each piece.
- Bake chicken for 45-60 minutes with the skin side up.
- Broil on high for the last 5 minutes of baking for crispy topped chicken.
How to make the sumac spiced red onions
- In a large frying pan or wok, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add 4 large sliced red onions.
- Add 4 tablespoons sumac, ½ tablespoon cumin, 2 teaspoons 7 spices, 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir to evenly coat the red onions with the spices.
- Cook onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally until they are very soft.
How to serve musakhan
- Line a large serving platter with 2 shrak breads.
- Add the soft red onions and spread around the pan evenly.
- Add the crispy sumac chicken.
- Sprinkle toasted pine nuts and parsley across the top.
- This is a family style recipe meant to be eaten right from the tray so put it at the center of the table where everyone can reach!
Yasmine
Musakhan is one of my favorite recipes! The video is so easy to follow thank you for sharing
G
This was so good!! I love all the extra sumac you added in the chicken and in with the onions. It totally added so much flavor. Also super excited to have found your blog for these great authentic Arabic recipes in easy to follow steps!