Persian cooking: recipes · Polo & dami: rice dishes

Tahchin ته‌چین مرغ

Saffron rice cake with yogurt, egg and chicken, baked until a golden crust forms, topped with barberries.

⏱ 150 min

Ingredients

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  • 1800 g basmati rice
  • 2250 g chicken breast
  • 4½ onions
  • 1350 g plain yogurt
  • 9 eggs
  • 9 tbsp saffron threads, ground and dissolved in 4 tbsp hot water
  • 225 g barberries (zereshk)
  • 270 g butter
  • 18 tbsp oil
  • salt (to taste)
  • black pepper (to taste)

Method

  1. Cook the chicken with onion, salt and water for 30 minutes and shred.
  2. Parboil and drain the rice as for polo.
  3. Stir together the yogurt, eggs, saffron, salt and 2 tbsp oil and mix in half the rice.
  4. Grease a baking dish with oil and butter, add the yogurt rice, lay the chicken on top, cover with the remaining rice and press down firmly.
  5. Bake covered at 190 °C for 1½ hours, turn out onto a plate and sprinkle with barberries tossed in butter.