Musakhan

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Caramelized Onion

1. 1
   Slice the onion into thin rings.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Heat the oil in a wide pot and fry the onion over medium heat 30–35 minutes, stirring, until it is deep brown.

   StoveWide, shallow pot

   💡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.

To assemble

1. 3
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡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.
2. 4
   Cook the chicken in a pot with water, salt and black pepper for about 40 minutes, until tender. Reserve 1 cup of the broth.

   StovePot
3. 5
   Add the sumac to the caramelized onion and stir.
4. 6
   Moisten the pitas in the chicken broth and arrange them in a baking dish.

   Baking pan

   💡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.
5. 7
   Spread half the caramelized onion over the pitas.
6. 8
   Arrange the chicken pieces on top and cover with the rest of the onion.
7. 9
   Bake 20 minutes, until the chicken is browned and the pitas are crisp at the edges.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.