Photo: Amaiursancho5 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Sumac-dusted bone-in chicken legs on flatbreads with purple onions, toasted almonds and parsley on a white platter. — Photo: Amaiursancho5 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Middle Eastern & North African · Lunch · Dinner

Musakhan

Name: Musakhan
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Middle Eastern & North African
Ingredients: 600 g (about 6 thighs) boneless skinless chicken thighs; 4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 3 tbsp ground sumac; 1 tsp ground allspice; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground cardamom; 3/4 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1/4 cup water; 2 tbsp pine nuts; 4 rounds (about 64 g each) whole wheat flatbread or taboon bread; 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

مسخن

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

Juicy sumac-spiced chicken served over whole wheat flatbread with a deep layer of slow-softened, tangy onions and toasted pine nuts. This lighter take on the Palestinian classic uses much less olive oil and keeps all of its bold, lemony warmth.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 55 min
Serves: 4

Medium
High protein

28%

Per serving551kcal28% of a 2,000 kcal day

39gProtein

56gCarbs

21gFat

8gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 40% · Fat 33% · Protein 27%

Jump to recipe

Track it in BerryFit and see how it fits your own daily target. Get the app ›

Ingredients

For 4 servings

600 g (about 6 thighs)boneless skinless chicken thighs
4 large800 gyellow onions, thinly sliced
3 tbsp40 gextra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp21 gground sumac
1 tspground allspice
1/2 tspground cinnamon
1/2 tspground cardamom
3/4 tsp5 gsalt
1/2 tspground black pepper
1 tbsp15 glemon juice
1/4 cup60 gwater
2 tbsp17 gpine nuts
4 rounds (about 64 g each)whole wheat flatbread or taboon bread
1/4 cup15 gfresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Steps

1
Heat the oven to 220 °C / 425 °F and line a baking tray with parchment.
2
In a bowl, mix 1 tbsp of the olive oil, 2 tbsp of the sumac, the allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, half the salt, the pepper and the lemon juice.
3
Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and rub the spice mixture all over them.
4
Lay the chicken on the tray and roast for 22–25 minutes, until cooked through to 74 °C / 165 °F in the thickest part.
5
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-low heat.
6
Add the sliced onions and the remaining salt, then cook for about 25 minutes, stirring often and adding splashes of the water whenever the pan looks dry, until very soft and golden.
7
Stir the remaining 1 tbsp sumac into the onions and take the pan off the heat.
8
Toast the pine nuts in a small dry pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking often, until golden; tip them onto a plate.
9
Rest the cooked chicken for 5 minutes, then slice or shred it and toss it with any juices left on the tray.
10
Place the flatbreads on a baking sheet and brush them lightly with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil.
11
Spread the sumac onions evenly over the breads.
12
Bake the topped breads for 5–7 minutes, until the edges are crisp.
13
Top each bread with the chicken, then scatter over the pine nuts and parsley, if using, and serve warm.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

Use bone-in chicken legs instead of boneless thighs and roast them for about 40 to 45 minutes, until they reach 74 °C / 165 °F at the thickest point.
Swap the pine nuts for slivered or flaked almonds, which are usually cheaper and easier to find.
For a gluten-free version, serve the chicken and onions over cooked brown rice or quinoa, or use a flatbread labelled gluten-free, and check that your spices are labelled gluten-free too.
Use red onions instead of yellow for a slightly sweeter, deeper-coloured topping.

Storage

Refrigerate the chicken and onions in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. Keep the bread separate, because it goes soggy once topped, and the assembled breads are best eaten fresh.

Make ahead

Cook the sumac onions up to 3 days ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. You can also rub the spice mix into the chicken and refrigerate it for up to 1 day before roasting, then warm the onions and assemble just before baking.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

Track this in BerryFit

Log Musakhan in one tap and see how it fits your remaining calories for today.

Or ask Coach Berry to change it

Make it veganMore proteinFewer calories

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Allergens and nutrition

Contains: Gluten

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (455 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	551 kcal	121 kcal
Protein	38.7 g	8.5 g
Carbohydrates	56.2 g	12.4 g
of which sugars	10.6 g	2.3 g
Fiber	7.9 g	1.7 g
Fat	20.5 g	4.5 g
of which saturated	3.5 g	0.8 g
Sodium	989 mg	217 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.