Makmoura (مكمورة) — Jordanian Layered Chicken Bread Pie

• 800 gall-purpose flour (plus 40 g for rolling if needed)
• 14 gfine sea salt
• 4 ginstant yeast (for a lightly tender, traditional home-style dough)
• 360 mlwarm water (about 38 C)
• 120 mlextra-virgin olive oil
• 8chicken thighs (bone-in, skin removed, about 1.5 kg total)
• 1.5 lwater
• 2 leafbay leaves
• 5 podgreen cardamom
• 1 stickcinnamon
• 1200 gyellow onions (thinly sliced)
• 4 tbspground sumac
• 2 tspground allspice
• 2 tspground cumin
• 2 tspground coriander
• 1 tspground turmeric
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 2 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 30 mllemon juice
• 180 mlreserved chicken cooking liquid

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough by mixing the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a large bowl until evenly combined. Add the warm water and olive oil, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly softer than standard bread dough.

2. 2

   Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 45 minutes, which relaxes the gluten and makes it possible to roll very thin layers. Divide it into 10 balls, lightly oil each ball, cover them, and rest for another 20 minutes while you prepare the chicken and onions.

3. 3

   Place the chicken thighs in a pot with the water, bay leaves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, and 10 g salt. Bring to a boil, skim the surface for 5 minutes, then simmer for 35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through but still firm enough to handle.

4. 4

   Lift the chicken from the pot and strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve, reserving at least 180 ml for the filling. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones into large bite-size pieces and discard the bones and whole spices.

5. 5

   Heat 140 ml olive oil in a wide heavy pan over medium heat and add the sliced onions. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often, until the onions collapse, turn golden at the edges, and become sweet without becoming crisp.

6. 6

   Stir in the sumac, allspice, cumin, coriander, turmeric, ground cinnamon, black pepper, and 8 g salt. Add the pulled chicken, lemon juice, and 180 ml reserved chicken cooking liquid, then cook for 5 minutes so the filling is moist, glossy, and deeply seasoned.

7. 7

   Heat the oven to 180 C and brush a deep 30 cm round baking pan with part of the assembly olive oil. Roll one dough ball into a circle large enough to line the base and climb the sides of the pan, keeping it as thin as markook bread without tearing.

8. 8

   Lay the first sheet in the pan and brush it lightly with olive oil, then roll a second dough ball into a thin shrak-like sheet and place it over the first. Spread a generous layer of chicken and onions over the dough, making sure the spiced oil reaches the edges.

9. 9

   Continue layering thin dough sheets with the chicken-onion filling, brushing the dough lightly with oil as you go and finishing with a final sheet of dough on top. Fold any overhanging bottom dough inward to seal the pie, then brush the top with the remaining olive oil.

10. 10

    Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 75 minutes, which allows the layers to steam and absorb the onion juices. Remove the foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes more, until the top is browned, the edges are crisp, and the center feels hot and set.

11. 11

    Rest the makmoura for 20 minutes before cutting so the layers hold together instead of spilling apart. Serve it warm in wedges, spooning any fragrant onion juices from the pan over the cut portions.