The Persian-style tahchin recipe pairs basmati rice, saffron, yogurt and chicken, baked until it forms a deep golden crust.
The Story
Persian saffron rice with chicken and a crisp golden crust is the focus of Mahtab’s golden saffron tahchin recipe, designed to serve 6 to 8 people.
The recipe calls for about 30 minutes of preparation and about 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking time.
For the chicken, it uses two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, a medium onion (quartered), turmeric, salt, black pepper, water, and ground sour grape (ghoreh powder) to taste.
For the saffron rice layer, the ingredients include basmati rice, plain Greek yogurt, egg yolks, melted butter, neutral oil, ground saffron, hot water, and salt.
To start, the ground saffron is mixed with three tablespoons of hot water and left to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
The chicken is cooked by simmering chicken, onion, turmeric, salt, pepper and water in a covered saucepan for about 25 to 30 minutes until tender, then shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces.
The basmati rice is rinsed, then partially boiled in salted water for about 6 to 7 minutes—until the outside is tender but the centre remains slightly firm—before draining.
Next, a saffron mixture is prepared by combining the yogurt, egg yolks, melted butter, oil, salt and the bloomed saffron.
The drained rice is gently mixed into the saffron-yogurt mixture until the rice is evenly coated.
To assemble, the oven is preheated to 375°F (190°C) and a deep oven-safe baking dish is greased; half of the saffron rice is pressed into the bottom, the chicken is added in an even layer, and the remaining rice is placed on top and gently pressed down.
The dish is tightly covered with aluminum foil and baked for about 60 minutes, then the foil is removed and it bakes for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until a deep golden crust forms.
After resting for about 10 minutes, the tahchin is carefully flipped onto a serving platter.
For finishing touches, dried barberries (zereshk) are quickly sautéed in butter for about 30 to 60 seconds, with optional sugar, then spooned over the tahchin and topped with slivered pistachios and slivered almonds.
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