MSAKHAN NACHOS
There isn’t a more popular dish in the Arab world than Msakhan, especially within the Palestinian community. There have been a lot of modern variations and twists created, but I’m excited to have created the Nachos version. They are delicious and make the perfect party snack. Once you start, it’ll be one bite after the other!
INGREDIENTS
Arabic pita bread
500g chicken parts (thighs, breasts, legs, skin-on)
2 onions, finely chopped
Olive oil, a lot
Sumac, to taste (preferably a lot)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Squeeze of lemon, to taste
PREPARATION
1. Place the chicken in the bottom of deep a baking dish, and using a sharp knife, make slits and season generously with salt and then rub with olive oil.
2. Add a bit of water and a squeeze of lemon, then cover the dish with foil and cook over the stove for about 40 minutes to one hour.
3. In the meantime, preheat oven to 200C and using scissors or a knife, cut the Arabic pita bread into triangles, or any shape you want and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.
4. After the hour is up, roast the chicken in the oven for an additional 30 minutes to get that golden color and the crispy exterior.
5. Take out the chicken and allow it to rest and cool.
6. Back to the bread, drizzle a bit of olive oil and sprinkle sumac and bake for about 15 minutes. Check on it regularly, to make sure the bread is browning evenly and is crispy. Do not forget about it as it can turn from brown to black very quickly.
7. Meanwhile, season your finely chopped onions generously with salt.
8. Heat about ½ an inch of olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat, then add the seasoned chopped onions and sauté until they become soft and translucent.
9. Reduce heat, and cover for about 5 minutes letting it simmer, then add a generous amount of sumac.
10. Drain the onions from the oil into a bowl (but reserve the oil as we will use it later) and set aside.
11. Once the chicken has cooled, remove the skin and begin shredding it onto a plate.
12. Now to assemble, on your serving platter place the baked pita bread at the bottom. Then, drizzle over it some of the olive oil set aside. Top with onions and sumac mixture, drizzle more of the reserved olive oil over it, and finally top with the shredded chicken.
13. Sprinkle a very generous amount sumac, because you can never have enough sumac in Msakhan, then dig in!
14. Best served with yogurt.
Notes:
The roast chicken method is how you would make it for a traditional Msakhan. For the Nachos, you don’t necessarily need to go through all the trouble, and can simply cook the chicken any way you want because you will end up shredding it anyway. Remember though, season with sumac, because that’s the center of all the flavor!
