Iranian Chicken With Turmeric Saffron And Lemon Juice Recipes

Steps:

• Mix chicken, onion, turmeric, chopped garlic, lime juice, 1 Tbsp. oil, 2 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. salt, and 3/4 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl.
• Heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium in a heavy medium saucepan. Add rice and smashed garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted and fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Stir in cardamom, cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. salt, and remaining 1/4 tsp. cumin and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Add 1 3/4 cups water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer, covered, until water is evaporated and rice is cooked, 18-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let sit, covered, until ready to serve.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high in a large skillet until very hot but not smoking. Add chicken mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in yogurt, if using, then adjust seasoning to taste. Cover to keep warm.
• Gently toss cucumber, herbs, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl.
• Fluff rice with a fork and divide among bowls. Spoon chicken over. Top with cucumber salad, pistachios, and sumac, if using. Generously squeeze lime wedges over.

Steps:

• Rough chop the onion and place in a large pot.
• Add chicken on top.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add turmeric.
• Add 1/2 cup of water.
• Cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked all the way through. 10 minutes into the cooking, give the whole pot a stir to allow the turmeric to coat the chicken and onions.
• If you choose to use fresh lemon juice, squeeze your lemons now.
• When the chicken is done, remove it from the pot and keep warm.
• Add saffron mixed with water and lemon juice to the water remaining in your pot. Adjust seasonings if needed.
• With a hand or regular blender, process the juice and onion until nice and smooth. Let reduce for a few minutes on low hear until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
• Arrange your chicken in a platter and pour the sauce over the chicken.
• Serve with Iranian polo (rice).

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts out on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown inside, about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Remove chicken skin and discard or save for another use. In a large bowl, season the chicken with turmeric, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
• Set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add oil and carefully lay chicken thighs into the pot in a single layer. It is crucial to leave space between the pieces to allow steam to escape, so brown chicken in batches if necessary. Cook until browned on both sides, flipping halfway through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Add onion to pot with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes.
• In a food processor, grind the cooled walnuts as finely as possible without turning them into a paste. (Alternatively, you can chop the walnuts as finely as possible by hand.) Add 2 cups pomegranate juice and 1/4 cup molasses to the walnuts and continue blending until you have a very smooth paste.
• Add the walnut paste and remaining pomegranate juice to the pot. Season with salt and partly cover with a lid. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 2 hours. If the sauce begins to stick, stir in 1/4 cup water. The sauce will thicken and change color as it cooks, turning a deep, dark brown, similar to mole poblano.
• Add the saffron, and taste the sauce. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and pomegranate molasses as needed. The sauce should be delightfully sweet and sour, so add up to 2 teaspoons sugar, if needed, if it's too tart.
• Add the chicken to the sauce and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until chicken is falling off the bone. Keep stirring regularly - the sauce should be thick, but not so thick that it sticks to the bottom of the pot, so add a splash of water as needed to prevent burning. Use a large spoon to skim away any walnut oil that has pooled on top of the stew. Taste and adjust seasoning, transfer to a serving dish and garnish with a sprinkling of fresh pomegranate seeds. Serve hot, with Persian rice, mast-o khiar and salad-e Shirazi if you like.

Steps:

• Place saffron threads into a small bowl and crush them up a bit with a spoon. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of hot water and stir. Let bloom for about 10 minutes - the water should turn bright yellow/orange. Set aside.
• Season chicken thighs on both sides with about 1 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked pepper.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs and sear on both sides until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove and place on a plate to the side. Add onion to the same skillet and cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add saffron mixture. Season with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked pepper. Stir to combine. Return chicken thighs to the skillet, cover, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, flipping thighs halfway through cook time. Season to taste and serve with the sauce.

Steps:

• Bring 2 tablespoons water to a boil in a small saucepan, kettle or using the microwave, then let stand for 2 minutes to allow the temperature to drop slightly while you grind the saffron. Using a mortar and pestle (or small bowl with the handle of a wooden spoon), grind the saffron with a small pinch of sugar to a fine powder (about 1/4 teaspoon) and add the hot water. Gently stir, cover and let steep until ready to use.
• Season the chicken legs generously with salt (about 3 1/2 teaspoons). In a large skillet with a lid, heat 1/4 cup of oil over medium-high. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken legs, skin side down. Cook until the chicken is golden, 5 to 8 minutes; we're not looking to brown the chicken skin here, just to get a nice golden color. Flip and cook the other side until golden, 5 to 8 minutes. You may have to do this in batches. Transfer the chicken to a sheet pan or large plate.
• Leave behind about 1/4 cup of the rendered fat in the pan and discard the rest. Add half of the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the onion with a little salt, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and the black pepper, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Transfer the chicken legs along with any juices back to the pan skin side down. Swipe the chicken through the turmeric-stained oil and flip so the skin side is up. Add 1 1/2 cups water, scraping up any bits stuck on the bottom. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and gently simmer the chicken for 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the pomegranate sauce: In a small pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium. Add the remaining diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the onion with a little salt, add remaining 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the tomato paste, and cook just to take off the raw taste and deepen its color, but taking care not to burn it, about 1 minute. Add the pomegranate molasses, give it a quick stir just to incorporate (pomegranate molasses burns quickly), then stir in 1 1/4 cups pomegranate seeds and save the rest for garnish. Sprinkle with a little salt, and remove from the heat.
• Add the pomegranate sauce and the saffron water to the chicken, gently stir, and simmer uncovered over medium heat until the sauce reduces by about half and the chicken is tender, about 25 minutes. Every once in a while, spoon a little sauce over the chicken. If the sauce reduces too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low or low. (You want enough sauce to spoon over rice and the chicken.) Taste for seasoning, and add a little sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the pomegranate molasses is too sour or bitter. If your sauce is too sweet, balance it with a little lemon juice, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Garnish with reserved pomegranate seeds and mint leaves, and serve over rice with a side of fresh herbs, radishes and scallions.