This recipe for Lari kebab chicken cooking with Iranian saffron keeps the established method: Lari chicken is marinated in yogurt, coriander seed, lemon, paprika, onion and saffron, then grilled and basted until juicy.
You may also see the name written as Lari kabab, kabab Lari or kebab Lari. A related search, Lari thoom kebab, describes a garlic-forward variation; the difference and the optional garlic addition are explained below without changing the original marinade.
Ingredients for Lari kebab chicken
- 1 medium whole chicken
- 1/5 cup full-fat yogurt, roughly 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon bloomed Iranian saffron
- 2 medium onions
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 fresh sour lemons
- 1/2 cup olive oil or neutral cooking oil
- Salt and red pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter, for the finishing baste
- Extra saffron and lemon juice for the baste
The recipe works with a cut-up chicken containing both bone-in and boneless pieces. Keep pieces of similar size and type together on each skewer because breast, thigh and bone-in cuts do not cook at exactly the same rate.
Prepare the chicken without washing it
Remove the skin if desired, trim excess fat and cut the chicken into grill-sized pieces. Pat the pieces dry with paper towel. The old instruction said to wash the chicken, but USDA guidance advises against washing raw poultry because splashed juices can spread bacteria around the kitchen.
Keep raw chicken and its utensils away from salad, bread and other ready-to-eat food. Place the prepared pieces directly into a nonreactive glass, stainless-steel or food-safe plastic container.
Build the yogurt, coriander and saffron marinade
Slice the two onions into rings and add them to the chicken. Squeeze in the juice of the two sour lemons. If you want more citrus aroma, add a few thin strips of yellow zest, avoiding the bitter white pith rather than leaving large lemon-skin quarters in the marinade.
Add the full-fat yogurt and turn the chicken until every piece has a light coating. Crush the coriander seeds coarsely between your fingers or with a mortar, then add them with the paprika, red pepper and salt.
Pour in the half-cup oil and one tablespoon bloomed saffron. If you are starting with dry threads, use this guide to brewing Iranian saffron and let the infusion cool before it touches the chicken.
Mix until the yogurt, oil, spices and saffron coat the pieces evenly. The marinade should be golden and aromatic, with visible crushed coriander rather than whole hard seeds.
Marinate Lari chicken for at least five hours
Cover the container and refrigerate the chicken for at least five hours. Turn the pieces once midway if the marinade has settled at the bottom.
Do not taste the raw marinade to check its salt, as the old instruction suggested. If you need to test the seasoning, cook a small spoonful of marinade in a separate pan until fully heated, taste that sample, then adjust the covered chicken with a clean spoon.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator shortly before skewering, but keep it out only as long as needed to arrange the pieces and prepare the grill.
What is Lari thoom kebab?
Searchers often call this family of dishes Lari thoom kebab or Lari thoom chicken kebab. Thoom is the Arabic word for garlic, so the name usually signals a more garlic-forward chicken kebab.
The established Rowhani recipe above does not list garlic. To make a Lari thoom kebab recipe while retaining its yogurt, coriander, lemon, paprika and saffron character, crush two garlic cloves and add them with the onions. All other quantities, the five-hour refrigerated rest and the grilling method can remain the same.
Arrange even pieces on each skewer
Prepare a charcoal grill if available, or heat a gas grill for direct cooking. Clean and oil the grate before the chicken goes on.
Thread like pieces together: put bone-in pieces on one skewer and similarly sized boneless pieces on another. Leave a little space between them. This is the original method’s most useful detail because it lets each skewer finish evenly rather than drying the small pieces while a large piece remains undercooked.
Let thick excess marinade drip back into the raw-chicken container. Discard that marinade after the skewers are assembled.
Grill and turn gradually
Place the skewers over steady medium-high heat. Turn them gradually so each side browns and receives a similar amount of heat. Move a skewer to a cooler part of the grill if its yogurt coating darkens too quickly.
Timing varies with the cut and the fire. The original method begins basting at about 15 minutes, when the pieces are nearly ready, but temperature is more reliable than the clock.
Make the saffron butter baste
Melt the two tablespoons butter in a small clean saucepan. Add a little bloomed saffron and fresh lemon juice, then warm the mixture briefly until it comes together. It should remain brushable rather than reducing into a sticky glaze.
At around the 15-minute point, brush the baste over the almost-cooked chicken. Turn the skewers and coat the second side, using a clean brush that has not touched raw poultry. Give each side a short final turn so the saffron butter is absorbed without burning.
Check doneness and serve
Remove each skewer when its thickest piece reaches 165°F (74°C). Check bone-in and boneless skewers separately rather than assuming they finish together.
Rest the Lari chicken for three to five minutes. If you are cooking a large batch, the original method suggests lining a pot with bread and placing finished chicken inside. Use that only for a brief hold and keep the lid slightly open so steam does not soften the grilled surface; serving each batch promptly gives the better texture.
Grill tomatoes on their own skewers, since they cook much faster than chicken. Onion pieces or colored bell peppers can also be grilled separately. Serve the Iranian Lari chicken with bread or saffron rice, grilled tomato and the vegetables.
Useful adjustments without changing the method
- For more heat: replace some or all of the paprika with a hotter red-pepper spice.
- For boneless chicken Lari: use equal thigh or breast pieces and keep each cut on separate skewers.
- For stronger saffron: use a concentrated infusion rather than food coloring; color alone cannot provide saffron’s aroma.
- For the thoom variation: add the two crushed garlic cloves to the original five-hour marinade.
- For even grilling: control the fire and group similar pieces instead of relying on one fixed cooking time.
Properly cooked Lari kebab should have a lightly charred exterior, moist chicken and a tangy yogurt-lemon finish, with coriander and Iranian saffron still clear in the aroma.
