Musakhan
A spicy bread-based dish from Palestine that makes great, messy comfort food.
Serves /
6
Prep time /
Cooking time /
Ingredients
- 6 pieces of taboon bread, or other unleavened bread like pitta or naan bread
- Two whole chickens, jointed
- 2 pints of real chicken broth
- 10 large onions, finely sliced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- Finely ground black pepper
- Salt
- 1/4 cup ground sumac (a spice found at Middle Eastern grocers)
- Sliced and toasted pine nuts or almonds.
Method
Combine the spices with the salt and rub half of this mixture over the chicken. If you have time, leave for up to a day to marinate. If not, cook straight away.
Heat half the oil in a pan. Add the chicken and brown. Transfer to a deep oven dish, add half the stock, cover and bake in an oven at 180c for 45 minutes.
Use the pan you browned the chicken in and caramelise the onions in the remaining oil and spice mix.
Lay the bread in an oven tray, spread half the onions over the bread then place the chicken pieces on the bread. Ladle most of the remaining stock generously over the top, leaving some to baste the mixture with whilst cooking. Bake again for about ten minutes, adding stock and oil to it until the bread is crispy on the outside.
Top with the toasted nuts and more onions. Eat with fingers.
