Chicken with Sumac ~ Palestine & Jordan

[Twitchin Kitten]

Chicken with Sumac
Mussakhkhan

Serves 4 - 6

In Palestine and Jordan, your guests could receive no greater honor than to be served this dish.  The tangy dark sumac adds an exotic flair to any dinner party!

NOTE: Excellent served with yogurt or a tomato and cucumber salad.

Below: my own chicken with sumac served with cucumber and yogurt salad, pita bread and yogurt.

Ingredients:

• 1 3 - 4 lb chicken, cleaned and cut into serving pieces
  
• 6 cardamom seeds, crushed
  
• 3/4 cup olive oil
  
• 4 large onions, chopped
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
  
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
  
• 1/2 cup sumac (see the Sumac in the Ingredient Shop forum)
  
• 4 small loaves of Pita bread
  

In a pot, place the chicken pieces and half of the crushed cardamom seeds.
Cover with water and cook over medium heat 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the chicken is tender.
Remove the pieces and set aside.

In the meantime, in a saucepan - place 1/2 cup of the oil, onions salt pepper, allspice and the remaining cardamom. Cook slowly, uncovered over a low heat for 1 1/2 hours.

While the onions are cooking saute the pine nuts in the remaining 1/4 cup of oil until they begin to brown, then add the nuts and the sumac to the onions.
Stir and allow to cool.

Divide the onion-sumac mixture in half and reserve one portion.
Split open the bread loaves and layer them in a greased round or oval casserole, spreading each layer with the onion-sumac mixture. Top evenly with the chicken pieces, then spread the remaining half of the onion-sumac mixture over the chicken.

Cover with foil and bake in a 350º F oven  for 40 minutes.
Serve a portion of the bread with each chicken piece.

    <-- clicky