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Palestinian · Levantine

Musakhan

Non-vegetarian

مسخن · musakhan

Roast chicken and a heap of onions slowly cooked in olive oil with lots of tangy sumac, piled onto taboon bread and finished with toasted pine nuts. Widely regarded as Palestine's national dish, traditionally made after the olive harvest.

Musakhan is a Palestinian main course from Palestine, ready in about 1 hour 35 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, olive oil and sumac. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 35 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
1198

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rub the chicken with 2 tbsp of the oil, 1 tbsp sumac (opens in a new tab), the spices and 1 tsp salt. Roast until cooked through and browned.

    Food safety: Chicken should reach 74 °C at the thickest point.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile cook the onions (opens in a new tab) slowly in the remaining oil with the rest of the salt until very soft and sweet but not browned. Stir in the remaining sumac (opens in a new tab).

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Split or open the breads, brush with the onion oil and spread thickly with the onions (opens in a new tab). Top with the chicken and its juices.

    • 5 min

  4. Step 4

    Return to the oven (opens in a new tab) until the bread edges are crisp. Scatter with pine nuts (opens in a new tab) and parsley (opens in a new tab) and serve with yogurt (opens in a new tab).

    • 10 min
    • 200°C
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Palestine · Well documentedRegarded as a national dish of Palestine, tied to the olive-oil harvest; also popular in Jordan.Also popular in JordanMore food from Palestine
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Roasted, Sautéed, Oven-baked
Taste
tangy, rich, sweet & savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Without the optional extras: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Sumac · Allspice · Cardamom · Cinnamon · Onion
Techniques
Roasting · Baking · Sautéing

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom yogurt
  • Contains: Tree nutsfrom pine nuts
  • Contains: Wheatfrom pita bread
  • Contains: Glutenfrom pita bread
  • May contain: Sesamefrom pita bread

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

1198 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 547 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 22%
  • Carbohydrate 17%
  • Fat 61%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy1198 kcal219 kcal
Protein65.3 g11.9 g
Carbohydrate52.6 g9.6 g
Net carbohydrate45.5 g8.3 g
Sugars7.7 g1.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre7 g1.3 g
Fat81.2 g14.9 g
Saturated fat17.5 g3.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol225 mg41 mg
Sodium1709 mg313 mg
Salt equivalent4.3 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1082 mg
Calcium
145 mg
Iron
7 mg
Magnesium
130 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
305 µg
Vitamin C
15 mg
Vitamin D
0.6 µg
Vitamin B12
0.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
150 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: parsley, yogurt.
  • Sumac: Paprika (FDC 171329) as a stand-in dried ground red spice; values are approximate.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Use your best fresh olive oil — it is the soul of the dish.

Common mistakes

  • Browning the onions quickly over high heat — they should be soft, sweet and pale purple from the sumac.

Serve with

  • Serve with yogurt, a chopped salad and olives; eat with your hands.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Reheat in a hot oven so the bread crisps again.

Variations

  • Musakhan rolls: Shredded chicken and sumac onions rolled in thin bread and baked — a popular party snack.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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