Palestinian sumac chicken and onion pitas (Arayes msakhan)
"Msakhan is among the most well-known recipes from Palestinian cuisine. It is traditionally made with taboon bread covered in olive oil, caramelised onions and sumac-seasoned bone-in chicken, baked until cooked through. My mom’s is made with shredded boiled chicken wrapped in saj/marqouq bread, then baked. My version uses pita bread filled with ground chicken, pan-fried on both sides until golden and crispy. Depending on the sourness of your sumac, adjust the quantity to your liking." - Hisham Assaad
This recipe is an edited extract from Taboon: Sweet & Savoury Delights from the Lebanese Bakery by Hisham Assaad, published by Smith Street Books, AUD$55.00, available now.
Ingredients (6)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to brush
- 1kg onions, thinly sliced
- 750g boneless skinless chicken (breast or thighs) or chicken mince
- 40g sumac
- 6-8 large pita breads
- 1/4 cup (60ml) pomegranate molasses (from specialty grocers and selected supermarkets), to serve
Don't forget you can add these ingredients to your Woolworths shopping list.
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1.Heat 2-3 tbs oil in a wide frypan over medium heat and cook onion for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until it starts caramelising (reduce heat more if needed).
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2.Once onion is a deep caramel colour, remove from the heat and leave to cool.
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3.If you wish, puree the onion in a food processor once cool, but can be used as is. Process chicken in a food processor until it’s in small pieces (skip if using mince). Mix in onion, sumac and 2 tsp salt flakes.
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4.Split open the pitas and fill each with 120-140g (about 1 loosely packed cup) of filling mixture, depending on the size of your bread. Brush outsides with oil and cook, in batches if necessary, in a hot, dry frypan for 4-6 minutes on each side, until crispy outside and cooked through inside.
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5.Cut each pita into 4 pieces. Serve drizzled with pomegranate molasses.
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