Persian style chicken and rice

I was inspired by a stunning Persian dish, zereshk polo ba morgh, or saffron-roasted chicken with rice and barberries. The OG recipe is all cooked separately, the chicken in one pot, crispy rice (this is known as a tahdig) in another and barberries candied in sugar syrup in another. Mine has more of a laid-back throw-it-all-in-the-oven vibe to get those crispy edges of golden rice and succulent juicy chicken thighs. I love piling on the garnishes for colour and texture – more is more in my opinion, but feel free to scale back if I’ve gone a little overboard.

Serves 4

Total time: 65 minutes

Ingredients:

• a pinch of saffron
• 2 tbsp just-boiled water
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• juice of 1 orange
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 500ml hot chicken stock – from 1 stock cube
• 1kg chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
• 250g basmati rice
• 3 cardamom pods, bashed open
• a handful of barberries or pomegranate seeds
• 10g pistachios, roughly chopped
• a handful of coriander leaves
• 300g Greek yoghurt – I use 10% fat
• salt and pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas 6. Put the saffron into a mixing bowl and add the just-boiled water. Stir and leave to infuse for a few minutes.
2. Add the garlic, tomato puree, olive oil, orange juice, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and a very generous pinch of salt and pepper to the bowl with the saffron and mix it all into a paste.
3. Transfer half the saffron paste to the stock and whisk together. Tip the remaining saffron paste into a large mixing bowl, add the chicken and toss together.
4. Tip the rice into a 30x40cm roasting tin and pour over the stock. Add the cardamom pods and arrange the chicken over the top. Cover the tray with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and return to the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the chicken is golden and cooked through and the rice crispy on the top.
5. Garnish with the barberries or pomegranate seeds, pistachios and coriander leaves and serve immediately with yoghurt.