Oven roasted chicken with lots of onion and olive oil, served on a bed of flatbread. This recipe is a sure crowd pleaser, that’s not only pleasing to the eye but a treat for the tastebuds as well.

I first made Mussakhan on my birthday a few months ago as a part of the Palestinian menu that I put together for my friends. Palestinian cuisine has always fascinated me, but when things got ugly in the near east, I wanted to show my solidarity (apart from donating to the cause). It was then when I decided to make a full Palestinian menu and invite my friends over. We got together and enjoyed the food but also shared our feelings about the situation. We prayed for peace in the world and the wished for the sufferings to ease for people going through hard times.

Mussakhan was a total hit at the get together. I made it multiple time afterwards, especially when hosting friends because I feel like it is a recipe that has to be made and enjoyed in a gathering. Okay, also because the leftovers make great wraps and sandwiches (no one needs to know that though).

Ingredients Needed For This Recipe

I have always made Mussakhan in a big quantity, usually when hosting people. The ingredients qantities (in the recipe below) are therefore suitable to feed about 6-8 adults. If you want to make a smaller qantity, you can simply divide the quantity of indredients by the same number.

• Chicken: I prefer using chicken thighs and legs (bone in). I keep the skin on which results in a very moist and soft texture. But if you want, you can remove the skin. Make sure to grease it well with olive oil so it doesn’t get dry. Also make sure to make slits into the thigh part so the flavours can seep in and it cooks through quicker.
• Onion: I use brown onion for this recipe. You need a big quantity of onion here. If you have a dicer, take help from it. Otherwise you will need a tissue for those onion tears.
• Spices: We need paprika powder, black pepper powder, cinnamon powder, cumin powder, cardamom powder, coriander powder and sumac. You can find all these spices from Turkish or Arab stores. Sumac is the star ingredient here so don’t skip it.
• Olive oil: Use good quality extra virgin oilve oil for this recipe. We need plenty of oil. You don’t want to skimp on it as it provides flavour to the recipe and also helps to soak the bread when assembled together.
• Bread: To serve the Mussakhan, we need a layer of flatbread at the bottom. I get the Arab bread (known as Arabisches Brot) from the Turkish shop and it works well for the recipe. You can instead use roti/chapati.
• Roasted Pine nuts: For garnishing, we need roasted pinenuts.
• Parsley: Fresh parsley is also used for garnishing.

How to Make Mussakhan?

There are two main components that need to be prepared for this recipe: Chicken and Onion mixture. After these are prepared, all that is left to do is assembly and garnishing. The main effort is in dicing the onion. If you have an equipment to help you with that, use it by all means. The process of making Musskhan isn’t complicated by somewhat time consuming. We bake/roast the chicken and prepare the onion mixture simultaneously to save time.

• Preparing the spice mix: First we prepare our spice mix which includes paprika powder, black pepper powder, cinnamon powder, cumin powder, cardamom powder, coriander powder, sumac and salt. Since all the spices are in powdered form, we simply need to mix them together using a fork or a whisk.
• Roasting the chicken: The chicken is coated with a light layer of oilve oil first so the spices stick on to it. Then we rub our prepared spice mix (reserving half for the onion mixture) onto it and roast the chicken in the oven, flipping it once in between.
• Preparing the onion mixture: After you have done the main task of dicing the onion, cooking it is relatively easy. Just combine the onion with a generous amount of olive oil and the remaining spice mix. Cook on low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. We don’t want to brown the onion, but make them soft and jammy.
• Assembling: After our main components are prepared, we will be ready for assemble. I like to cut my flatbread in triangle (like pizza) for easier serving. Arrange a layer of faltbread at the bottom of a big dish, then add the onion and olive oil mixture, followed by the chicken (including the juices). It is best to assemble it 30 minutes before you want to serve it to let the bread soak up the remaining liquid.
• Garnishing: Toasted pinenuts, chopped fresh parsley and sumac are used to garnish and bring a pop of color and texture to Mussakhan.

How to Prep Ahead of Time

When feeding a crowd, you need recipes that could be prepared ahead of time to avoid last minute works. Mussakhan is a great option because you can bake the chicken and prepare the onion mixture a day ahead, and do the assembly a few hours ahead of time. If you assemble in an ovensafe container, you can reheat it in the oven (on 180 degrees C for 15-20 mins). Otherwise, reheat the chicken and onion mixtutre in the oven and then assemble with the bread in a serving dish.

What To Do With The Leftovers?

If you have got any leftovers, shred the chicken from the bones and cut the flatbread into small pieces. Mix it and then transfer it into an airtight container and store it for up to 3 days in the fridge and 2 months into the freezer. You can use it as a filling in wraps or sandwiches, or enjoy it on it’s own with some freshly made salad.