Chicken Musakhan

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.

Step 2: Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1½ teaspoons of sumac, the cinnamon, allspice, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper and mix well to combine, then spread out on a parchment-lined baking tray and roast until the chicken is cooked through, this will take about 45 minutes if starting with the whole chicken, quartered and then remove from the oven and set aside but don’t discard any juices which have collected in the tray.

Step 3: Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons of oil into a large sauté pan, about 24cm, and place on a medium heat and add the pine nuts and cook for about 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the nuts are golden brown and then transfer to a bowl lined with kitchen paper (leaving the oil behind in the pan) and set aside and then add the remaining 60ml of oil to the pan, along with the onions and 3/4 teaspoon of salt and return to a medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the onions are completely soft and pale golden but not caramelised and now add 2 tablespoons of sumac, the remaining 2 teaspoons of cumin and a grind of black pepper and mix through, until the onions are completely coated and now remove from the heat and set aside.

Step 4: When ready to assemble the dish, set the oven to a grill/broil setting and slice or tear the bread into quarters or sixths and place them under the grill/broiler for about 2–3 minutes, to crisp up, then arrange them on a large platter and top the bread with half the onions, followed by all the chicken and any chicken juices left in the tray.

Step 5: Either keep each piece of chicken as it is or else roughly shred it as you plate up, into two or three large chunks and spoon the remaining onions over the top and sprinkle with the pine nuts, parsley, 1½ teaspoons of sumac and a final drizzle of olive oil. Serve at once, with the yoghurt and a wedge of lemon alongside.