Barberry rice with chicken is one of the popular and elegant Iranian dishes for parties. The chicken, slowly cooked with onion and spices and served with thick saffron sauce, creates a colorful and delicious combination alongside Iranian rice and barberries sautéed with slivers of pistachios and almonds.
Ingredients for Barberry Rice with Chicken
To prepare this delicious dish, you will need the following ingredients:
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- Iranian rice: 4 cups
- Chicken: 4 pieces of thighs or breasts
- Barberries: 1 cup
- Large onions: 2
- Tomato paste: 2 tablespoons
- Strong brewed saffron: 4 tablespoons
- Sugar: 1 to 2 tablespoons
- Butter: 50 grams
- Pistachio and almond slivers: 2 tablespoons each
- Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon
- Cinnamon stick: 1 small piece
- Turmeric, black pepper, and salt: as needed
- Oil: as needed
How to Make Barberry Rice with Chicken
Chop the onions into slivers and sauté them in a little oil until golden. Add turmeric and black pepper, then add the chicken pieces to the pot. Fry the chicken on both sides until golden brown.
Sauté the tomato paste in one corner of the pot until it changes color. Then add the cinnamon stick and about 2 cups of boiling water. Cover the pot and let the chicken cook on low heat for about 45 to 60 minutes.
In the last 15 minutes, add the brewed saffron and lemon juice. Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it and let the sauce boil uncovered for a few minutes until it thickens and becomes colorful. If desired, you can add a little butter to the sauce.
Wash the rice and soak it in water and salt for about an hour. Then, add it to boiling water and drain it once the outside of the grains is soft and the inside remains slightly firm.
Pour oil into the bottom of the pot and arrange your desired tahdig. Add the rice to the pot and drizzle a little oil or butter on top. Allow the rice to steam over medium heat first, then let it simmer on low heat for about 40 to 50 minutes.
Clean the barberries and quickly wash them. Melt the butter in a pan over low heat and add the barberries along with the sugar. Sauté for about one to two minutes, being careful not to burn the barberries, as they can become bitter very quickly.
Sauté the pistachio and almond slivers separately with a little butter. Then mix some of the rice with the brewed saffron to prepare it for decoration.
Serve the rice on a platter and decorate it with saffron rice, barberries, and slivers of pistachios and almonds. Arrange the pieces of chicken beside the rice and drizzle some of the thick saffron sauce over the chicken. Serve the remaining sauce in a separate dish for everyone to use as desired.
Approximate calories: Each serving of barberry rice with chicken contains about 600 to 800 kilocalories, depending on the size of the chicken and the amount of oil and butter used.
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