Mussakhan (Baked Chicken on Bread) Middle East, Palestine

Pali's Favorites's Note:

I absolutely LOVE this dish. It can be used a side dish to a bigger meal, or a meal all in its own. Normally it is made with freshly baked Arabic Bread, but I have tried it with pita bread, since not everyone has time to make fresh bread, and it still came out great! Depending on the size of your bread would depend on how many pieces you would need. Enjoy!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 35 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 4.0 pieces

• 2 whole chickens, cut in pieces
• 3 tablespoons sumac
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 large onions, quartered and sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3 -6 tablespoons olive oil, depending on how large your onions are
• 4 -6 pieces arabic bread or 4 -6 pieces pita bread

Directions:

1. Wash cut pieces of chicken, and place in a large pot and cover with water. Add salt and let boil. Remove froth from the top of pot and let the chicken boil until cooked.
2. Mix the onions with the salt and 2 tbsp sumac, and saute in olive oil until tender.
3. When chicken is done, remove from broth and rub with salt, 1 tbsp of sumac, and lemon juice, and brush with olive oil. Set aside the broth to cool.
4. Place the pieces of arabic or pita bread in a baking pan, and pour some of the chicken broth you just made on top of the bread (you want to soak the bread in the broth). Turn the bread over to make sure both sides are covered. **Make sure the broth is cooled off completely, otherwise you will end up with soggy bread that you cannot pick up!
5. Place the sauted onions with the olive oil on top of each piece of bread (depending on how big your piece of bread is will depend on how much onions you will put on each piece, but normally its about 1/2 cup for bigger pieces of bread and 1/3 cup for smaller pieces). Spread the onions out to cover the top of the bread.
6. Place 1-2 pieces of chicken (depending on how big ur bread is) on top of the sauted onions.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is browned.
8. Garnish with the sauted pine nuts.

Reviews

[Nasseh]

This dish got mixed reviews. The chicken was delicious but not everyone liked the pita bread. About half of us just ate the chicken & threw away the bread. Made for Ramadan Tag '10

[Maya's Mama]

This was very good and very filling. I've made misakhan many times before. But never this way. The addition of lemon juice really makes the recipe. The chicken was moist and tender.The bread was "addictive". DH loved it... I expect i'll be making it several more times this week. Made for Ramadan Tag 2009