This recipe for cooking delicious Majlisi chicken with Iranian saffron browns four seasoned chicken pieces, then cooks them slowly with onion, garlic, vegetables and a rich tomato-saffron sauce.
Majlisi chicken is meant to arrive at the table looking composed: intact pieces, a glossy sauce and saffron rice alongside. The method is gentle enough to keep the meat tender while the sauce reduces around it.
Majlisi chicken ingredients
- Bone-in chicken pieces: 4
- Onion: 1
- Garlic: 2 cloves
- Brewed saffron: 1 teaspoon for seasoning, plus a little more for finishing
- Tomato paste: 2 to 3 tablespoons
- Butter: 1 tablespoon
- Neutral cooking oil: 1 tablespoon, or as needed
- Bell pepper: 1/2, chopped
- Carrot: 1 medium, sliced
- Turmeric: 1/2 teaspoon
- Fresh lemon juice: 1 tablespoon, then adjusted to taste
- Boiling water: about 1 1/2 cups, as needed
- Salt and black pepper: as needed
- Cinnamon stick: 1 small piece, optional
Trim and season the chicken
Trim away excess fat and pat the chicken dry. Do not wash raw poultry in the sink. If dividing a larger piece, cut cleanly through the joint rather than sawing through solid bone, which can leave fragments in the sauce.
Season the four pieces with salt, black pepper, 1 teaspoon of brewed saffron and several slices from the onion. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Keep the remaining onion for the pan.
Soften the onion, garlic and bell pepper
Finely chop the remaining onion. Melt the 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat, then add the onion and cook until pale gold.
Grate or finely chop the 2 garlic cloves and stir them in. Add the chopped bell pepper once the garlic smells fragrant, and cook for another minute without letting the garlic darken.
Oil does not make butter impossible to burn; the milk solids can still catch. Keep the heat moderate and move the onion mixture regularly.
Brown the Majlisi chicken in one layer
Move the vegetables to the edge of the pan and place the chicken pieces flat on the base without stacking them. Brown the first side, turn each piece, then spoon the onions and peppers over the top.
This brief frying stage gives the Iranian chicken colour, but it is not deep-fried chicken. Most of the cooking happens slowly under the lid.
Arrange the sliced carrot around the chicken. Sprinkle on the turmeric and a little more salt and pepper. Add the optional cinnamon stick now if using it.
Cook the chicken slowly
Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Let the chicken release some of its own juices and begin cooking gently. Check after 10 minutes; if the base looks dry, add a small splash of boiling water rather than letting the onion burn.
Turn the pieces once so both sides meet the aromatic liquid. Keep them in one layer throughout, which helps them cook evenly and preserves their shape for serving.
Make the tomato and lemon sauce
Put the 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato paste in a bowl. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and about 1 cup of boiling water until smooth.
Pour the sauce around and over the partly cooked chicken. Add enough of the remaining boiling water to create a shallow braising liquid, not enough to submerge the pieces.
Cover again and simmer over low heat until the chicken is tender and the sauce has lost the raw taste of tomato paste. Turn and baste the pieces occasionally so the colour remains even.
Finish with Iranian saffron
Pour a little more brewed saffron over the chicken near the end. For a concentrated infusion that will not make the sauce watery, follow the best way to brew saffron.
After 10 minutes, spoon some of the sauce back over the pieces. Continue cooking uncovered if the sauce needs to thicken, or cover the pan if the chicken needs more time.
Check the thickest piece with a food thermometer, avoiding the bone. Poultry should reach 165°F (74°C); the CDC food-safety guidance gives that minimum for all poultry.
Balance and serve Majlisi chicken
Remove the optional cinnamon stick. Taste the sauce and adjust salt, pepper or lemon in small steps. The saffron and tomato should both be clear, with enough acidity to lift the butter rather than make the sauce sour.
Arrange the chicken pieces on a serving dish and spoon the thick, rich sauce over them. Place the carrots and peppers neatly around the meat and serve with saffron pilaf.
Details that keep the sauce clean and rich
- Trim excess chicken fat before seasoning.
- Cut through joints, not solid bone, to avoid fragments in the sauce.
- Keep all four pieces in one layer during browning and braising.
- Use low heat after browning so the chicken cooks without the onion catching.
- Add the final saffron near the end and baste again after 10 minutes.
- Reduce the sauce uncovered only after the chicken is fully cooked.
The finished Majlisi chicken should hold together when lifted, with saffron-gold highlights over a smooth tomato sauce. That contrast, more than a large amount of garnish, gives the dish its polished appearance.
