Chicken Musakhan Tacos
Serves 4
Inspiration from Fufu’s Kitchen
Spice Mixture adapted from The Mediterranean Dish
For Spice Mixture (makes 9 tablespoons):
3 tablespoons allspice
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon coriander
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon cumin
Lemon zest from ⅓ lemon
For Herb Citrus Tahini Sauce:
4 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of ¾ lemon
1 tablespoon fresh dill, coarsely chopped (or ½ teaspoon dried dill)
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
For Onions:
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sumac
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons Spice Mixture (recipe above)
For Chicken:
3-4 chicken thighs, cut into small cubes (about ¾ - 1 pound of meat)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
½ tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons Spice Mixture (recipe above)
For Garnish:
10 taco tortillas
Pine nuts, toasted
Slivered almonds, toasted
Fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
Pickled onions
Pickled jalapenos
Lemon juice
For Spice Mixture:
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Mix together until everything is well incorporated.
For Herb Citrus Tahini Sauce:
In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. If the sauce is too thick, add more water. If the sauce is too thin, add more tahini. Season to your liking.
For Onions:
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, sumac, salt, pepper, and 4 tablespoons Spice Mixture and mix everything together (you may have to wait until the onions soften before you can really mix all the spices through the onions). Cook the onions until caramelized and soft, about 15-20 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Remove the onions from skillet and set aside.
For Chicken:
In the same skillet you cooked the onions, make sure the skillet is at medium heat. Add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the diced chicken. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the Spice Mixture over the chicken and mix everything together. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
If there is excess liquid from cooking the chicken, drain it off .
Add the onions back into the skillet and mix it together with the chicken. Add a squirt of lemon juice over top.
How to Build the Taco:
Construct the taco by adding a layer of onions on a warmed taco tortilla. Add a few pieces of chicken on top. Generously garnish with the toasted almonds and pine nuts, fresh parsley, pickled onions and jalapenos, and lemon juice. Add a good heaping of the tahini sauce over top. The sauce brings the whole dish together, so don’t skimp!
Enjoy!
