Chicken Kebabs with Lime and Saffron

In the book The Persian Kitchen, author Yasmin Khan beautifully captures Iran’s rich and nourishing culinary tradition. It is more than just a recipe book, by the way, as Khan takes you on a journey through Iran. Between the recipes, you’ll find wonderful stories about rice fields, tea plantations, coffee bars and Iranian sweets.

From the book The Persian Kitchen: “All of Iran is crazy about jujeh kabob, and in every neighbourhood you’ll find at least half a dozen kabobi restaurants, all serving their own version of these chicken kebabs. I have my own version too, which you can even make during the cold winter months. Instead of grilling the tender pieces of chicken on the barbecue, I simply roast them in the oven without skewers, then finish them briefly under the grill so that the skin becomes deliciously crisp.” 

Marinate the chicken for as long as possible, so the irresistible flavours of the lime and saffron can infuse deep into the meat.

Method

Make saffron water. Grind the saffron threads with the sugar in a mortar and add the boiling-hot water. Leave the saffron to infuse for 5 minutes.

Make several crosswise cuts in the chicken chops and drumsticks, cutting almost down to the bone. Make a marinade. Mix the saffron water, ground turmeric, onion, yoghurt, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.

Add the chicken pieces and toss them so that each piece is coated with marinade. Cover the bowl with cling film and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 3–6 hours. Toss the pieces every 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 190 °C (gas mark 5). Place the chicken pieces skin-side up in a roasting tin. Roast them in the oven for about 45 minutes, until cooked through – when pierced, the juices should run clear. Turn the pieces every 10 minutes so they roast evenly.

Meanwhile, heat the grill to its highest setting. Grill the tomatoes for about 5–6 minutes until cooked, turning them regularly. Wrap them in aluminium foil and keep them warm until the chicken is ready.

Whisk all the ingredients for the yoghurt sauce together. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place the chicken pieces skin-side up on a grill rack and pour the melted butter over them. Grill for a few minutes until the skin is crisp and lightly charred. Place them on a serving platter, sprinkle generously with sumac and leave them to stand for a few minutes. Serve the chicken with the tomatoes, fresh herbs and yoghurt sauce alongside.

Image: Matt Russel

The Persian Kitchen

Yasmin Khan
€ 24,95
Fontaine Publishers