Palestinian Musakhan

Name: Palestinian Musakhan
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

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Mains

This Palestinian Musakhan is rich with olive oil, sumac onions and tender chicken — simple, bold, and made for sharing.

PREP TIME

30 minutes

COOK TIME

1 hour

SERVES

About this recipe

Palestinian Musakhan is one of those dishes that looks simple but carries so much meaning. I’ll be honest — chopping all those onions can feel like a nightmare, but once you get past that, everything else falls into place. This is a recipe built on olive oil, sumac, and patience, and the result is always worth it.

Palestinian Musakhan is also very close to my heart. When I married my husband and became part of a Palestinian family, I was exposed to a deep love for food, land, and hospitality. The generosity around the table, the way meals are shared, and the pride in simple ingredients really stayed with me. This dish reflects all of that — honest food made to be eaten together.

I make Palestinian Musakhan often, and I also love turning leftovers into something new. The chicken works beautifully in musakhan chicken burgers, packed with sumac onions — easy to make with leftover chicken, or even store-bought shredded chicken when you’re short on time. And if you love big, comforting bakes, my Musakhan-style chicken pie with caramelised sumac onions truly beats any Sunday roast.

Ingredients

Chicken

6 chicken Marylands
1⁄3 cup olive oil
1⁄3 cup sumac
1 teaspoon baharat
Salt, to season

Onion topping

10 onions, diced
1 litre olive oil
1⁄2 cup sumac
Salt, to season

Assembly

Arabic bread or taboon
Pine nuts, fried in olive oil
Parsley, finely chopped
Pomegranate seeds (optional)

Notes from Rouba

This recipe uses a lot of onions — I use my onion chopper to save time, and I’ll link it here because it’s a lifesaver.
If you prefer chopping by hand, gloves help — it’s the hardest part of the recipe.
Don’t skimp on the olive oil. It’s not extra, it’s the flavour.
I always season the onions after draining them, not in the oil — it helps the sumac really shine.
Pomegranate seeds and pine nuts are optional. They’re there for colour and texture, not necessity.

Method

Step 1. Marinate and Bake the Chicken

Place the chicken Marylands in a large bowl and add the olive oil, sumac, baharat, and salt. Mix well so the chicken is evenly coated. Arrange the chicken in a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (fan-forced) (350°F) for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Set aside.

Step 2. Cook and season Onions

Add the diced onions and olive oil to a very large pot and season with salt. Cook over medium heat until the onions are very soft and translucent. Do not brown them; they should stay pale and silky. Once cooked, strain the onions and reserve the oil.

While the onions are still warm, add the sumac and mix very well until evenly coated. Set both the onions and reserved oil aside.

Step 3. Assemble the Musakhan

Dip the Arabic bread into the reserved onion oil, coating it well. , Overlap the bread on a large tray or platter, using about three flatbreads or as many as needed.

Spread a generous layer of the sumac- coated onions over the bread

Place the baked chicken Marylands on top. Finish with fried pine nuts, chopped parsley, and pomegranate seeds if using.

A FEW THINGS YOU’LL WANT TO KNOW

Can I use different chicken pieces?
Yes, absolutely. I use Marylands, but whole chicken, cut-up chicken, or mixed pieces all work well.

Do I need to fry the chicken first?
Some people do, but I don’t. The oven cooks the chicken beautifully and browns it without the extra step.

Is all that olive oil necessary?
Yes. Musakhan is about olive oil and onions. This is not the dish to cut back.

Do I have to soak the bread in the oil?
I can’t say no — it’s part of what makes Musakhan what it is. But if you really struggle with it, the onions will still release plenty of flavour onto the bread.

Can I use less onion?
No. This dish is onion and olive oil forward — that’s the heart of it.

What if I can’t get pomegranate seeds or pine nuts?
Leave them out. They’re just a garnish, and the dish will still be perfect.