Persian Saffron Chicken (Joojeh Kabob)
Saffron-yogurt marinade, grilled chicken and lemon and sumac.
Maui's an app that plans a whole week of dinners like this one. See how it works ↓
The saffron bloom is the whole game. Skip the hot-water step and you'll get pale yellow chicken with no perfume. Grind, bloom, wait - it's 30 seconds of work that does 80% of the flavor lifting.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 4 servings.
- 2 lbboneless skinless chicken thighscut into 1.5-inch chunks
- 1 tspsaffron threadsground in mortar, bloomed in 2 tbsp hot water
- ½ cupwhole-milk greek yogurt
- 3 tbsplemon juicefresh-squeezed
- 1 mediumyellow oniongrated (use box grater)
- 3garlic clovesgrated or finely minced
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 1 tspground sumacfor finishing
- 1lemoncut into wedges
- 1½ tspkosher salt
- ½ tspfreshly ground black pepper
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 420calories
- 44gprotein
- 8gcarbs
- 22gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Grind saffron threads in a mortar with a pinch of salt, then bloom in 2 tbsp hot (not boiling) water. Let sit while you prep.
- Cut chicken into 1.5-inch chunks. Pat dry.
- Grate the onion on a box grater (you want pulp, not chunks).
- Grate or finely mince the garlic.
Marinate
In a bowl, whisk together the bloomed saffron water, yogurt, lemon juice, grated onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add chicken, toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours - ideally 6-8 hours or overnight.
120 min · hands offSkewer
Thread chicken onto skewers, leaving a little space between pieces so they char rather than steam. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water 30 min first.
5 min · hands onGrill
Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high. Grill skewers 5-6 min per side, turning once, until chicken is just cooked through and shows golden char marks. Internal temp should hit 165F.
12 min · hands onRest and serve
Let skewers rest 3 min off heat. Slide chicken off onto a platter. Dust generously with sumac, scatter extra grated onion if you like, and serve with lemon wedges.
3 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Breast cooks faster - pull at 12 min total, watch closely. Saves about 3 minutes.
Warm flatbread on the grill 30 sec per side at the end.
Dice cucumber and tomato and red onion, toss with lime juice and olive oil while chicken marinates. Adds about 5 minutes.
Use thick unsweetened coconut yogurt 1:1 - tenderizes well but skews slightly sweet.
What keeps
Marinate up to 24 hr (saffron deepens). Grilled chicken keeps 3 days but reheat gently - high reheat dries it out.
Skewer day-of for best texture.
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