Makmoura — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A rustic layered pie of tender chicken, masses of caramelized onions, and thin pastry sheets baked until golden and crisp. This festive Jordanian dish from the north is pure comfort wrapped in flaky pastry.

Ingredients

1 kg chicken thighs, bone-in
8 large onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp sumac
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup pine nuts
For dough: 4 cups flour
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
Melted butter for brushing

Instructions

1 Make dough by mixing flour, salt, olive oil, and warm water. Knead until smooth, divide into 6 balls, and rest covered for 30 minutes.
2 Boil chicken thighs in seasoned water for 30 minutes until cooked. Remove, cool, and shred the meat, discarding skin and bones.
3 Cook sliced onions in olive oil over medium-low heat for 30-35 minutes until deeply caramelized. Stir in sumac, allspice, and cinnamon.
4 Roll each dough ball into a very thin circle, larger than your baking pan. Brush a round pan generously with butter.
5 Layer three thin dough sheets in the pan, brushing each with butter and letting edges drape over the sides. Spread chicken, caramelized onions, and pine nuts in layers.
6 Fold overhanging dough over the filling, top with remaining dough sheets tucked in neatly. Brush the top generously with butter and bake at 190C for 35-40 minutes until golden.

Did You Know?

Makmoura is so associated with hospitality in northern Jordan that refusing a slice from a host is considered deeply impolite.