MAY IT PLEASE THE PALATE: Chicken Msakhan

We have a guest columnist today – my associate, Amanda Ghannam. After reading this, I fear I may be out of a job! I hope you enjoy her inaugural contribution as much as I did.

By Amanda Ghannam

When you hear “roast chicken,” you probably think of Julia Child, with her crispy-skinned bird surrounded by buttery carrots and celery. Heads up: this is not that. There’s nothing wrong with a classic French poulet, but sometimes you want to spice things up a little. Msakhan, pronounced “im-SEH-khan,” is a traditional Middle Eastern – specifically, Palestinian – version. Don’t be intimidated by the Arabic name or spices you may not have heard of. You, too, can make it at home. It’s called msaKHAN, not msaKHAN’T.

Before we dive in, a quick note on Palestinian cooking: the richness of the cuisine, and culture in general, is often overlooked, drowned out by incessant political debate. I won’t be getting into that today except to say the whole “let’s debate who here deserves human rights” thing gets pretty exhausting, and sometimes a girl just wants to relax and eat some chicken. Palestinian cuisine exists at the crossroads of light, fresh Mediterranean staples (think fresh herbs and lots of olive oil) and the more robust influences of the Arabian Gulf (rice, lamb, bread-as-edible-utensil, and then more lamb). This recipe leans towards the latter, but is brightened up by fresh lemon and parsley and a generous heaping of sumac, a bright, citrusy spice you can find at any Middle Eastern or South Asian grocery store. It is my ultimate comfort food.

When I was in law school, I called my mom to ask her for the recipe so I could share this dish with my friends. Her response: “Recipe? It’s just chicken, onions, and the spices. And bread. You’ve got the good bread, right?” While her approach worked just fine, I understand some people are partial to exact measurements and specific instructions. Thankfully, I found this recipe in Yasmin Khan’s excellent “Zaitoun: Recipes from the Palestinian Kitchen.”

• 2 lbs. chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin on
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tablespoons sumac, plus more to dust
• Juice of one lemon
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 large red onions
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or any neutral cooking oil
• “The good bread” (naan, Arabic taboon bread, or thick Greek-style pita. You’re probably used to thin, stretchy pita bread, ubiquitous at metro Detroit Middle Eastern restaurants. Great for scooping up hummus, but avoid it here if you can. I’ll explain later.)
• Chopped parsley leaves

Slash the flesh of each piece of chicken diagonally a few times, then place them in a large bowl. Pour over the extra virgin olive oil, spices, lemon juice, garlic, some sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper, and rub the mixture into the chicken (make sure to get underneath the skin). Feel free to play with the amount of spice; it’s hard to have too much sumac. Add the red onions, toss everything together, and let it marinate in the fridge for 1-3 hours.

Roast the chicken in a baking pan at 375° for about 35 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear when pierced at their thickest part. Let the chicken rest, covered with foil, while you fry the pine nuts in the cooking oil for a minute or so until they turn golden brown and fragrant. Chopped almonds will work in a pinch, but trust me, the flavor of toasted pine nuts is worth running out to the grocery store. (Also, no disrespect to Ms. Khan and her recipe, but I’m not sure two tablespoons is enough – everyone in my family tends to sneak a spoonful or two out of the pan before they make it to the chicken).
Toast the “good bread” lightly and place the chicken and onions on top. Now, here’s why you need a thicker bread like naan or taboon bread – you’re going to take the roasting pan and drizzle the juices over the whole thing so the bread soaks them up. The rich, savory bread is what makes msakhan so addicting. Thin pita just doesn’t hold up here. You may be able to find taboon bread at a Middle Eastern bakery. I love the fresh bread at Ishtar Ethnic Foods in West Bloomfield. But there’s absolutely no shame in Trader Joe’s frozen naan if that’s what you have access to.

Finish with a generous scattering of toasted pine nuts, chopped parsley, a final dusting of sumac, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Dive in! Use your hands! This is an excellent sharing meal – invite your guests to sit around the table and tear off pieces of bread. If you’re gluten-free, the chicken is delicious served over rice, too. If you’re vegan ... sorry, I can’t help you here. Check back next column.
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Amanda M. Ghannam is an associate with Nacht & Roumel PC specializing in employment and civil rights litigation. She is pretty good at her job and in the kitchen, but terrible at writing her own bios. Follow her on Twitter at @amandaghannam.