Musakhan Rolls are a modern take on the classic Palestinian sumac chicken recipe. These rolls are portable, delicious and easy to prepare. They are made with shredded chicken, caramelized onions, and lots of sumac.
Pair them with plain yogurt or a tangy mint yogurt sauce and Jerusalem Chopped Salad.
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What is Musakhan?
Musakhan is the unofficial national dish of Palestine that features roasted chicken over traditional taboon bread, seasoned with a mixture of sumac, olive oil, and other spices. The dish is often garnished with sautéed onions and pine nuts.
Musakhan is known for its rich and aromatic flavors, and it holds cultural significance in Palestinian cuisine. Try my easy Musakhan recipe too.
This recipe is a modern twist on the traditional recipe. The rolls are fun and kid-friendly and can also be prepared as an appetizer. They work well on a mezze platter or a picnic too.
Ingredients
The recipe comes together with a few standard ingredients. The only challenging one to find might be the Markook flatbread (see next section for more details).
- Chicken: In this recipe, we will be shredding the chicken. So you can use dark or white meat. I like to use chicken thighs as they will be more moist. Or you can simply skip the chicken cooking step and use rotisserie chicken!
- Spices: The classic Musakhan spice profile includes sumac, 7-Spice (Baharat). If you don’t have 7-Spice, you can substitute with equal parts coriander, cumin and cinnamon. Sumac is also found in za'atar spice blend and in many Palestinian Recipes like Za'atar Chicken and Spinach Fatayer (hand pies).
- Onions: You will need lots of onions for this recipe! I like using red onions, but you can also use white onions.
- Flatbread: For this recipe, I am using Markook. Markook, also known as Markouk or Markouk, refers to a traditional flatbread that is commonly prepared in the Middle East, particularly in countries like Lebanon and Syria. The name "markook" is derived from the Arabic word "rakq," which means thin. This thin bread is unleavened, meaning it was prepared without yeast. You can find it at all Middle Eastern grocers. If you don’t have access, you can substitute with flour tortillas or thin Lebanese pita (that is separated into 2 parts), lavash or roti.
- Nuts: Pine nuts are traditional, but feel free to use almonds instead.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Musakhan Rolls
This recipe does have a few steps, but they aren't difficult. Read through all the steps first to get familiarized with them.
Step 1. Season the chicken. Preheat your oven to 375F. In a large bowl, combine the chicken thighs, olive oil, lemon juice, spices, salt and pepper (Image 1). Transfer the chicken thighs to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (Image 2).
Step 2. Bake. Bake the chicken thighs for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (Image 3).
Step 3. Cook the onions. In a large sauté pan set on medium-low heat, cook onions in olive oil with a pinch of salt for 15-20 minutes (Images 4 and 5). Season with sumac (Image 6).
Step 4. Fry the pine nuts. To a sauté pan, add the pine nuts with a little oil and fry until lightly browned. Don’t walk away, they will burn quickly (Image 7). Transfer to a plate lined with a piece of paper towel to drain.
Step 5. Shred the chicken. When the chicken is ready, set it aside to cool for 15 minutes then shred it into bite-sized pieces and add them to the pan with the onions, along with toasted pine nuts and parsley (Image 8). Stir to combine (Image 9).
Step 6. Prepare the flatbread. Cut your flatbread into rectangles about 8”x10” (Image 10). Place about ½ cup of chicken mixture on the 8” side (Image 11). Roll the Markook up like you would a spring roll, by tucking in the sides and rolling tightly (Images 12-13). Place the roll seam side down in an oiled baking tray or sheet (Image 14). Repeat until you’re out of mixture or flatbread.
Step 7. Brush with oil. Brush the rolls with a little olive oil and bake in a pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes until crispy (Images 15-16).
Step 8. Serve. Serve the rolls with yogurt or my mint yogurt sauce (Image 17).
Expert Tips
- Boil the chicken instead. Instead of roasting the chicken thighs, you can boil them with water and spices like bay leaf, cardamom pods, and a cinnamon stick. Let the cooked thighs cool before shredding and proceeding with the recipe. Don’t throw away the cooking liquid, you have a nice chicken broth now that you can use for soup or stew.
- Use rotisserie chicken instead. Skip the chicken cooking step entirely and use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from your grocery store or Costco.
Recipe FAQs
You can certainly make the chicken and onion mixture 1-2 days in advance. You can also prepare the rolls a few hours in advance and bake them before serving.
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They may get a little soggy or the bread might crack. You can reheat them in an air fryer or toaster oven.
Markook bread is an unleavened flatbread popular in the Levant. It is used to make wraps like shawarma or in this case, Musakhan rolls. You can find it at your local Middle Eastern store. You can substitute it with another thin flat bread.
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Recipe Card
Musakhan Rolls (Crispy Palestinian Sumac Chicken)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken thighs
- 4 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil - Divided, plus extra for brushing
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon Sumac - Divided
- 1 teaspoon 7-Spice (Baharat) - Substitute equal parts cumin, coriander and cinnamon
- Kosher salt and Black pepper
- 2 Large red onions
- 2 tablespoon Pine nuts
- 2 tablespoon Parsley - Chopped
- 1 Bundle Unleavened flatbreads (Markook) - See note
- Garnish with more pine nuts, sumac, pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley
Instructions
- Season the chicken. Preheat your oven to 375F/190C. Season the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon sumac, 1 teaspoon 7-spice (baharat), kosher salt and black pepper. Arrange the chicken pieces on a parchment-lined baking tray, baking dish, or in a braiser.
- Bake. Bake the chicken thighs for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. An instant-read thermometer should read 170F.
- Cook the onions. In a large sauté pan set on medium-low heat, cook chopped or sliced onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a big pinch of salt for 15-20 minutes, until soft. Season with 1 tablespoon sumac.
- Fry the pine nuts. To a small sauté pan, add the pine nuts and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Fry on medium heat until lightly browned. Watch out, they burn quickly. Transfer toasted pine nuts to a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Shred the chicken. When the chicken is ready, set it aside to cool for 15 minutes then shred it into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken to the pan with the cooked onions. Add the pine nuts (save a few for garnish) and the chopped parsley. Stir to combine. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning.
- Prepare the flatbread. Cut your flatbread into rectangles about 8”x10”. Place about ½ cup of chicken mixture on the 8” side. Roll the Markook up like you would a spring roll, by tucking in the sides and rolling tightly. Place the roll seam side down in an oiled baking tray or sheet. Repeat until you’re out of mixture or flatbread.
- Brush with oil. Brush the rolls with a little olive oil and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until crispy and golden brown.
- Serve. Garnish with toasted pine nuts, chopped parsley, a sprinkle of sumac and pomegranate seeds for sweetness. Serve the crispy rolls with yogurt or my mint yogurt sauce.
Notes
- Chicken: In this recipe, we will be shredding the chicken. I like to use chicken thighs as they will be moist after cooking, but chicken breast is fine too. Or you can simply skip the chicken cooking step and use rotisserie chicken!
- Spices: The classic Musakhan spice profile includes sumac, 7-Spice (Baharat). If you don’t have 7-Spice, you can substitute with equal parts coriander, cumin and cinnamon.
- Onions: You will need lots of onions for this recipe! I like using red onions, but you can also use white onions.
- Flatbread: For this recipe, I am using Markook. Markook, also known as Markouk or Markouk, refers to a traditional flatbread that is commonly prepared in the Middle East, particularly in countries like Lebanon and Syria. You can find it at all Middle Eastern stores. If you don’t have access, you can substitute with flour tortillas or thin Lebanese pita bread (that is separated into 2 parts), lavash, saj bread, or roti.
- Nuts: Pine nuts are traditional, but feel free to use almonds instead.
AQ says
This looks delicious! Can you freeze the cooked rolls to eat at a later time?
Luay Ghafari says
Yes, just defrost and heat them up in an air fryer or toaster oven.