JOOJEH KEBAB - SAFFRON AND LEMON CHICKEN DISH

July 04, 2016

Tired of the usual chicken recipes? We really loved this Persian inspired recipe from Iranian-born Sabrina Ghayour that was featured in the Irish Times magazine in April. Sabrina has a new book called Persiana which she has written for home cooks. Joojeh kebab is a traditional chicken dish in Iran and while is typically cooked using poussin over a barbeque, Sabrina adapted her recipe to make it easy for people to create without a barbeque. This can be served as a hot or cold dish. We have this recipe a try and found it absolutely delicious, the end result is pictured above, served on our Forget Me Not Small Oval Serving Dish.

Ingredients - Serves 4 people:

• 4 onions, thinly sliced into "half moons"
• Juice of 5 lemons
• 4 tbsp olive oil  
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 400g (14oz) Greek yoghurt (can alternatively use just a plain yoghurt, even low fat)
• 3 tbsp crushed sea salt
• Generous pinch of saffron threads
• 3 tbsp boiling water
• 6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 5cm (2in) pieces.

How to Prepare:

1. Put the onions, lemon juice, olive oil, turmeric, yoghurt and sea salt into a large mixing bowl and mix well. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the saffron to a powder, then pour over the boiling water and leave to infuse for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the chicken to the mixing bowl. Mix well to evenly coat the chicken pieces in the yoghurt, then add the saffron water to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for a minimum of 1 hour or preferably overnight.
3. Once the chicken has been marinated, preheat the oven or grill to the highest setting possible. Line a large baking sheet with nonstick baking paper.
4. Remove each piece of chicken from all the marinade using a slotted spoon. Lay out all the pieces of chicken on the prepared baking sheet and bake or grill for 18-20 minutes maximum, or until the pieces have slightly charred edges but remain beautifully moist on the insides. Serve with flour tortilla wraps or basmati rice with a little salad and some yoghurt.

Fancy giving this recipe a try? We'd love to know what you thought of the dish so drop us a comment below.

Also in News, Recipes and more...

A Fresh Approach

January 14, 2020

Something in the air is telling me that a careful examination of my house is in order,-- And it isn’t even time for what is known as ‘spring cleaning’. 

Continue Reading

Warm Woolly Winter

November 12, 2019

The clocks have changed, and so has the season. When it was light is now dark, humidity has turned to dampness as many a tree offers a final burst of colour before shedding its leaves and turning dormant. It’s the time of year to heat ourselves with a constant cup of hot something and wrap ourselves up in layers of wool.

Continue Reading

Garlic and Ghouls, Tricks and Treats

September 26, 2019

Garlic is a wondrous plant of multitudinous varieties, properties, and flavours. For such a small thing it is so pungent and powerful and has its uses at this ghoulish time of year. So here is our ode, or should I say odour, to Garlic. 

Continue Reading