194. Chicken Muskhan Cones

Chicken musakhan is a favorite Palestinian dish, consisting of staples of the area: chicken, onion, sumac, and bread. The traditional recipe roasts whole chicken, and serves it on a bed of bread discs drenched in the onion-sumac mix, and sprinkled with fried pinenuts.
I transformed the dish into a more finger-food friendly presentation, and if I may say so, it is absolutely magnificent.

Pastry cones are stuffed with the chicken mix, then topped with a teaspoon of luxurious creamy Turkish labna (thickened yogurt), and a whimsical sprinkling of sumac to complete the presentation.
Instead of making the pastry cones, you may use quartered pita bread, brush with oil, wrap around the steel cone and bake in a 425°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and crispy.

Ingredients:

For the pastry cones:
2 cups flour
2 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp powder milk
2 Tbsp oil
3/4 cup warm water
+ 1 egg for glaze

For the filling:
6 onions, halved, finely sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
450g chicken breasts, boiled and shredded finely (reserve the water)
1 1/2 tsp dry mint
1 stock cube, crumbled
2 Tbsp sumac
1/2 tsp lemon salt (or juice of 1 lemon)
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp salt

To finish:
Turkish labna
sumac

Method:

To make the pastry cones:
Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, milk powder in a bowl.
Whisk the yeast in the water and oil.
Pour the yeast mixture on the flour mixture and knead for 3-4 minutes.
Form dough into a ball, lightly oil, cover, allow to rise 45 minutes in a warm place.
Divide dough into walnut sized balls (should make around 24 balls).
Roll the ball into a long rope, and wind the rope around the steel cone.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Let the cones rest 10 minutes.
Brush the surface with the beaten egg.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, remove from the steel cones, let cool on a rack.

To make the filling:
Saute the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until completely withered but not yeat carmelised (around 15 to 20 minutes).
Stir in the dry mint, stock cube, sumac, lemon salt, salt and pepper.
Stir in the shredded boiled chicken.
If the mixture is too dry, stir in a quarter cup of the chicken water.
Sett aside to cool completely.

To assemble:
Stuff the pastry cones to the brim with the completely cooled chicken mix.
Top with a generous teaspoon of the Turkish labna, and a small sprinkling of sumac.
To be served at room temperature or cold.

 صحة و عافية