Mussakhan with cornish hens
I have made this Palestinian dish before using boneless thighs or bone-in chicken pieces; this is the first time I try it with cornish hens. The cornish hens lend themselves very well to this dish, because one hen will suffice per piece of (lavash or markouk) bread. As a result, each person will be presented with their little cornish hen encased in bread and onions.
Can’t find this bread? Use pita bread, the largest one possible.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Cornish hen per person (or per two people)
- one large onion per hen
- 3 Tablespoons of sumac per hen
- olive oil, as needed
- salt, to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of seven-spice seasoning or a mixture of cinnamon and allspice and pepper
- 1 1/2 cup of chicken broth
METHOD:
- Rub the cornish hens with a cut lemon and sprinkle evenly with some seven-spice or a mixture of cinnamon and allspice, white or black pepper and salt.
- Heat some olive oil in a pot and brown the hens all over until golden-brown throughout. Add two cups of water to the pot and let the water cook the hens for 20 minutes and change into a broth.
- Slice the onion into rings and pan-fry in a skillet with some olive oil; when the slices are soft and start to caramelize, sprinkle with the sumac and a pinch of salt and remove from the heat.
- Lay a piece of lavash or markouk or pita bread on a greased pan. Place the hen in the middle and surround by the onions placing some onions on top of the hen. Fold the bread over till the hen is completely enclosed. You may need to start off with the bread on top of the hen and tuck the bread in to enclose the bird. Sprinkle the entire bread with about a cup or two of the broth. Place in a preheated 350F oven for about 20 minutes or until the bread is golden-brown. Serve.
NOTE: If you cannot find lavash or markouk bread, you can use a large pita bread instead, splitting it open and stuffing the bird inside.
Comments
31 Comments • Comments Feed
Marie-Claire says:
Où puis-je trouver le “7 spice”? Par contre, j’adore tous les plats avec du Sumac… que tu m’avais fait découvrir chez Anne-Marie il y a longtemps, et que j’ai toujours dans mon placard depuis. A Dallas, où acheter le pain spécial?
Je fais cette recette la prochaine fois que j’ai du monde!
On April 13, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Joumana says:
@Marie-Claire: tu peux trouver tout ça chez Sara Bakery sur Sherman et Spring Valley; le pain est fait chez Fadia sur Campbell et Hillcrest (Phoenicia Bakery) mais elle le vend chez Sara.
On April 13, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Juliana says:
Wow, cornish hen wrapped in lavash…looks delicious, what an appetizing dish. Hopa you are having a great week 🙂
On April 13, 2011 at 2:14 pm
Lyndsey says:
This looks so good. I need to pull out the sumac to use on poultry more often. I do use it on fish a lot. Sounds like a nice combo with the seven spice. I have never had cornish hens before, you are pushing me to try it! In a good way 😀
On April 13, 2011 at 3:25 pm
Bo says:
This is a very interesting way of cooking cornish hen…I know I’d love the flavor of it since its seasoned with sumac.
On April 13, 2011 at 3:42 pm
sweetlife says:
my hubby loves sumac, lovely cornish hens..
sweetlife
On April 13, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Devaki says:
What a stellar presentation – I have only ever had Mussakhan with chicken bits and onions but yours makes one heck of a gourmet presentation. I must make this at a dinner party 🙂
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
On April 13, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Tammy says:
Gorgeous presentation, Joumana. Wish I could have just a taste!
On April 13, 2011 at 6:26 pm
Claudia says:
I haven’t visited Cornish hens forever. Love encasing them in the lavash – so elegant with a surprise inside.
On April 13, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Min {Honest Vanilla} says:
I love all the spices that went along the recipe! Must be so delicious after encasing in pita 🙂 Mmmmm and the onions would lend it’s natural sweetness to the bread as well! Lovely dish!
On April 13, 2011 at 8:50 pm
5 Star Foodie says:
These cornish hens sound so flavorful, love the addition of seven-spice seasoning!
On April 13, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Jean says:
I was attracted to your dish as soon as I saw the first picture but I knew I would love it as soon as I saw that it has sumac in it. Is there anything better than sumac? It just goes so well with everything. I just used it on prawns this week. What a great idea for a complete meal in one–presents so well, too. 🙂
On April 14, 2011 at 2:07 am
Heavenly Housewife says:
That looks so elaborate and delicious, I imagine your guests must be thrilled to bits when you present them with one of these. Absolutely delicious.
*kisses* HH
On April 14, 2011 at 2:12 am
Banana Wonder says:
Wow! Never seen this one before. The meat must taste amazing.
On April 14, 2011 at 2:13 am
jantonio says:
It looks delicious, I love sumac and all spices.
On April 14, 2011 at 4:44 am
Angie's Recipes says:
I like cornish hens! This must be very fresh, and flavoursome.
On April 14, 2011 at 5:17 am
Nadji says:
Cela fait un moment que j’ai cette recette dans mes archives et je ne l’ai pas réalisée à cause du pain. Je vais voir si je peux trouver des pitas xxl.
Je suis restée un peu perplexe devant l’appellation poulets de Cornouailles. C’est du coquelets. Je ne cuisine pratiquement plus que du coquelet : il est plus cher mais plus goûteux que le poulet même fermier.
A très bientôt.
On April 14, 2011 at 5:26 am
Nuts about food says:
The next time I caramelize onions I will definitely use some sumac to mix in. Thanks for the tip.
On April 14, 2011 at 6:03 am
Joanne says:
What a gorgeous presentation! The hens sound absolutely delicious. These have some definite wow-factor!
On April 14, 2011 at 6:32 am
Cherine says:
Looks wonderful. Would love to try it soon!
On April 14, 2011 at 6:59 am
Conor @ HoldtheBeef says:
My very own Cornish hen, just for me, all wrapped up like a parcel? I so wish I could come dine with you! I’d bring a good bottle of wine, I promise.
On April 14, 2011 at 9:37 am
sensiblecooking says:
I was reading through the recipe and drooling the whole time. I am not sure if I can get cornish hen locally so is it ok to use the normal chicken?
On April 14, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Joumana says:
@sensiblecooking: this dish can be made with a regular chicken, chicken thighs deboned, chicken pieces boned. ETc.
On April 14, 2011 at 3:03 pm
T.W. Barritt says:
Such a beautiful presentation! I love the way the hen is wrapped so beautifully.
On April 14, 2011 at 1:41 pm
vincent says:
Hola,
Su blog ha captado nuestra atención por la calidad de sus recetas.
Agradeceríamos que lo registre en Ptitchef.com para poder indexarlo.
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cocina. Cientos de blogs ya se han inscrito y disfrutan de Ptitchef
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parte superior.
Atentamente,
Vincent
On April 14, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Suzy Eats says:
This is looks amazing!! I have made this with chicken but not a cornish hen. I am going to try this. Thanks!
On April 14, 2011 at 4:27 pm
deana says:
I can’t imagine how good this would be… I was even thinking of using that Giant Ethiopian bread with a full size chicken… exotic and comfort food in one dish… perfect!
On April 14, 2011 at 8:05 pm
bergamot says:
This looks really inviting. Must try it. Though trying to get the largest pita will be quite a challenge.
On April 14, 2011 at 11:04 pm
savoringtimeinthekitchen says:
What a wonderful presentation and so delicious!
On April 15, 2011 at 9:29 am
domi says:
Excellentissime !!! Une préparation chic et pleine de charme dans son ” écrin ” savoureux. Sur que cette préparation en ” croûte ” de pain doit faire son effet sur les convives….
On April 16, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Mathai says:
Looks great! I’m sure it tastes awesome too 🙂
On April 17, 2011 at 2:40 pm