How long does it take to make Musakhan?

Sear the chicken, then cook it covered in water over low heat for about half an hour.

1 hr 54 minTotal

52 minActive time

1 hr 1 minSetting

#	What to do	How long
1	Slice the onion into thin rings	5 min
2	Heat the oil in a wide pot and fry the onion over medium heat 30–35 minutes, stirring	32 min
3	Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F)	12 min
4	Cook the chicken in a pot with water, salt and black pepper for about 40 minutes	40 min
5	Add the sumac to the caramelized onion and stir	1 min
6	Moisten the pitas in the chicken broth and arrange them in a baking dish	1 min
7	Spread half the caramelized onion over the pitas	1 min
8	Arrange the chicken pieces on top and cover with the rest of the onion	1 min
9	Bake 20 minutes	20 min

Onion caramelizes with patience: over medium heat it reaches deep brown in about half an hour, over low heat it takes close to an hour, and over high heat it burns at the edges before it softens. A pinch of salt at the start draws out its liquid, and when it starts to stick, add a tablespoon of water and scrape the bottom.
Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.

Moisten the pitas, don't soak them: a pita that's too wet falls apart in the dish, while a lightly moistened one turns soft underneath and crisp at the edges.
Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.

For a 1.5 kg chicken: a quarter cup of sumac and half a kilo of onion fried in olive oil.
Serve the chicken on a large pita, with sumac and parsley on top.