Summer Plum Stew Saffron Recipe

Summer Plum Stew Saffron Recipe is a Persian peach stew with chicken, Bukhara plums, lemon and saffron. The name reflects the plums in the sauce, but ripe peaches are the main summer fruit, added near the end so their slices soften without disappearing.

Persian summer peach and plum stew with chicken and saffron.

Persian Peach and Plum Stew

This is a light, sweet-and-sour stew for peach season. Cook the chicken first, thicken the sauce lightly, then add the plums and separately sautéed peaches. The final few minutes determine whether the fruit stays attractive or collapses.

Preparation: 25 minutes, plus 1 hour marinating
Cooking: about 1 hour
Serves: 4

Ingredients

5 firm-ripe peaches
2 chicken thighs
1 chicken breast, cut into 2–3 pieces
1/2 cup finely sliced onion
5–6 pitted Bukhara plums or dried golden plums
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more only if needed
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 tablespoon strong brewed saffron
1 teaspoon sugar, adjusted to the fruit
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
8 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
About 400 ml hot water

Use a concentrated infusion rather than adding extra water to the sauce. Our guide to brewing saffron explains how to prepare it from threads.

Season the Chicken

Pat the chicken dry. Rub it with two tablespoons of oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover and refrigerate for one hour. Keep it chilled while you prepare the fruit and onion.

Rinse the Bukhara plums, cover them with freshly boiled water and leave for 15 minutes. Drain without squeezing them.

Brown and Simmer

Heat three tablespoons of oil in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden at the edges. Put in the chicken and brown the pieces on both sides.

Pour in enough hot water to come just below the top of the chicken. Bring it to a gentle simmer, partially cover and cook for 30–40 minutes. Turn the pieces once and add a small splash of hot water if the pan becomes dry.

Check the thickest part of the chicken with an instant-read thermometer. Poultry should reach 74°C/165°F, following the official FoodSafety.gov temperature chart.

Balance and Thicken the Sauce

Stir the lemon juice, sugar and brewed saffron into the simmering liquid. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with three tablespoons of cold water until smooth. Pour this mixture slowly into the pan while stirring the sauce around the chicken.

Add the drained plums and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes. The sauce should lightly coat a spoon, not become thick like gravy. Flour needs a few minutes of cooking before its final consistency is clear.

Prepare the Peaches

Peel the peaches, remove the stones and cut each fruit into four or six thick wedges. Very soft peaches are difficult to keep intact, so use fruit that is fragrant but still firm.

Warm the remaining three tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Sauté the peach wedges for 1–2 minutes per side, until lightly golden. Work in batches if necessary; crowding the pan makes the fruit steam.

Finish the Summer Stew

Nestle the sautéed peaches into the sauce. Simmer over low heat for only 5–8 minutes, until heated through and just tender. Turn the fruit once with a spoon rather than stirring the whole pot.

Taste the sauce with a piece of fruit. Add lemon or sugar in small increments only if the peaches and plums have left it out of balance. It should be pleasantly sweet-tart, with saffron still noticeable.

Serve and Store

Transfer the chicken to a shallow serving dish and arrange the peaches and plums around it. Spoon over the sauce and serve with steamed basmati rice.

Fresh peaches give the best texture. If using canned peach halves outside the season, drain them, omit the sugar and add the fruit only long enough to warm through. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within three days.