Shared by Maya Yadid
Shared by Maya Yadid
Macaroni Hamin (Slow-Cooked Chicken and Pasta Casserole)
Yield: 7-8 servingsTime: 50 minute, plus 6 hours cooking
Macaroni Hamin (Slow-Cooked Chicken and Pasta Casserole)
Yield: 7-8 servingsTime: 50 minute, plus 6 hours cookingFamily Journey
Urfa, TurkeyJerusalem
Pine Plains, NY
Growing up in a family of restaurateurs in Jerusalem, food was the heart of Maya Yadid’s home life. Today, as an artist living in Upstate New York, she continues to celebrate that connection to food and to her heritage through her work.
This macaroni hamin often appeared on the Yadid family Shabbat table. Also known as “Jerusalem hamin,” it’s believed to have originated in the Old Yishuv, the pre-Zionist Jewish communities of Jerusalem. A comforting Shabbat classic, it combines tender chicken with golden, lightly charred noodles. Like any hamin, time is the main ingredient, but this version cooks significantly faster than the Yadid family’s hamin with rice-stuffed steak and kuklas (bread dumplings). In just six hours, it develops fall-off-the-bone chicken and a deeply caramelized pasta bottom that everyone fights over.
Read more about Maya’s family in “The Festive Hamin in Artist Maya Yadid’s Family Evolves With Time.”
Ingredients
- 1½ packages bucatini pasta (such as De Cecco No. 15)
- 7-8 bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more
- ½ cup neutral oil, plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 18 garlic cloves, peeled
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 270°F.
Step 2
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than the cooking time on the package. Reserve ⅓ cup of the pasta cooking water for later. Drain the pasta and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Step 3
Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper. Set a heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pot over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Sear the chicken until deeply golden, 5-7 minutes on each side. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Step 4
In the same pot over medium-high heat, add ½ cup of neutral oil. Add the onion with 1 tablespoon of salt and sauté until translucent and lightly golden, about 5–7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and black pepper, and cook until the oil takes on a rich color, about 5 minutes.
Step 5
Add the tomato purée and stir well to combine. Then add the pasta and stir until evenly coated with the sauce.
Step 6
Transfer two-thirds of the pasta to a large bowl, leaving one-third in an even layer at the bottom of the pot. Place the chicken on top, skin side up, then add the remaining pasta over the chicken.
Step 7
Add the reserved pasta cooking water. Over high heat, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
Step 8
Lay a piece of parchment paper closely over the pasta and seal with a lid. Bake in the oven for 6 hours.
Step 9
To serve: Remove the lid and parchment paper and place a large serving platter (larger than the pot) over the top. Use oven mitts or kitchen towels and carefully flip the pot onto the platter. Lift the pot and serve immediately.
