Sumac Terrace · Main dishes

Sumac Roast Chicken with Onions and Flatbread

Name: Sumac Roast Chicken with Onions and Flatbread
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1600 g Whole chicken; 2 tbsp Olive oil; 2 tbsp Ground sumac; 4 clove Garlic; 2 whole Lemon; 3 whole Onion; 1.5 tsp Salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper; 1 tsp Paprika; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 4 whole Pita breads; 10 g Fresh flat-leaf parsley; 80 ml Water

A whole chicken rubbed with sumac, garlic, lemon and cumin, roasted over onions until the thigh is cooked through and the skin is browned. Torn flatbread catches the pan juices.

100 minutes · Medium · 4 servings

Original house recipe · Not yet kitchen-tested

Ingredients

Whole chicken1600 g
Olive oil2 tbsp
Ground sumac2 tbsp
Garlic4 clove
Lemon2 whole
Onion3 whole
Salt1.5 tsp
Black pepper0.5 tsp
Paprika1 tsp
Ground cumin1 tsp
Pita breads4 whole
Fresh flat-leaf parsley10 g
Water80 ml

Quantities describe recipe usage, not package sizes.

Allergen notes

Wheat (pita).

Method

Season the chicken

Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Do not rinse it. Mince the garlic and mix it with the olive oil, sumac, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper and the juice of 1 lemon. Rub the mixture over the skin and under the breast skin. Put the spent lemon halves in the cavity. Wash your hands, knife and board.

Set the pan

Cut the onions into thick wedges and scatter them in a roasting pan with the water. Set the chicken on top, breast side up. Roast for 70–90 minutes. A 1.6 kg bird usually needs about 80 minutes, but the thermometer decides.

Check the thigh

Health Canada’s safe internal temperature for whole poultry is 82°C (180°F). Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, not touching bone. If it is below 82°C, return the chicken to the oven and check again in 10 minutes. The juices should run clear when the thigh is pierced. Rest the chicken on a clean plate for 10 minutes. Keep the onions warm in the pan.

Serve

Warm the pitas in the oven for 2 minutes. Carve the chicken with a clean knife. Serve with the onions, a squeeze from the remaining lemon, chopped parsley and the bread to wipe up the juices.

Colour is not a doneness test. The thigh, away from the bone, has to read 82°C. Resting for 10 minutes keeps the juices in the meat instead of on the board.

AI-generated food image. Presentation is illustrative. This menu belongs to an imagined restaurant.