This Persian Chicken recipe is so flavorful and comforting! The savory, tender chicken and basmati rice are infused with fragrant Persian spices – a delightful one-pan dinner that comes together quickly and easily!
This savory spiced Persian Chicken recipe is infused with flavor and easy to make, requiring only 30 minutes of hands-on time before baking in the oven.
Chicken is coated in a Persian spice blend that you can make at home and then it’s quickly pan-seared before being nestled into rice seasoned with saffron and optional barberries. Bake it for 30 minutes, and when it comes out, the rice is deliciously fragrant and cooked to perfection, and the chicken is tender with crispy skin. A delicious one-pan meal full of warming Persian Spices.
Why You’ll Love This!
- Only 30 minutes hands-on. This recipe is incredibly easy to make and only requires 30 minutes of hands-on cooking before baking the dish in the oven.
- One-pan meal. With everything being made in a dutch oven, this recipe could not be simpler. Plus it makes clean-up a pinch!
- Bursting with flavor. Between the Persian spice blend, Baharat, and the saffron-seasoned rice, this dish is packed with layers of rich flavor.
- No more boring chicken! This recipe offers a bold and flavorful option for enjoying tender and crispy chicken that will impress your palate.
Persian chicken Ingredients
- Basmati rice: Adds a fragrant and nutty flavor to the dish. It pairs well with the chicken and absorbs the flavors of the spices and saffron-infused water.
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken: Provides juicy and tender meat with crispy skin and infuses the rice with flavor (from the drippings). Using a mix of chicken breasts and thighs adds variety and richness to the dish.
- Salt: Enhances the overall taste and brings out the flavors of the other ingredients. Use 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of chicken to season it perfectly- this is key!
- Olive oil: Creates a flavorful base for sautéing the onions and garlic, adding a subtle richness to the dish.
- Red onion: Adds a mild sweetness and depth of flavor to the dish when thinly sliced and sautéed. It blends well with the chicken and spices.
- Garlic cloves: Provide a savory and aromatic flavor to the dish when roughly chopped. They complement the other spices in the Baharat blend.
- Dried Barberries: This optional addition adds a tart brightness to the dish. Optional, but highly recommended! Feel free to use dried currents, craisins or raisins.
- Saffron: Saffron threads infuse the rice with a beautiful golden color and impart a delicate floral taste. If unavailable, use a 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric as a substitute.
- Optional garnishes: Flat leaf parsley, cilantro, pomegranate seeds, nuts (slivered almonds, slivered pistachios) – these garnishes add freshness, and texture, and provide a pop of color and a delightful contrast to the flavors of the chicken and rice.
- Persian spices: infuses the dish with warmth, depth, and complexity. It’s made with spices you already have: cumin, coriander, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ground clove.
How to Make Persian Chicken
Preheat oven to 400 F. Place rice in a bowl and cover with water to soak while you prep the remaining ingredients.
Mix the spices together in a bowl. Season all sides of the chicken with salt (1 teaspoon per pound) then rub the spices all over the chicken, using it all. Set the chicken aside.
In a large oven-proof skillet, braiser or Dutch oven, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic until tender and fragrant, seasoning with salt and pepper, and set these aside.
To the same pan, add more oil if needed. Place the chicken skin-side down, gently searing over medium heat, just until nicely golden, about 4 minutes. Turn over, and sear 1 minute. Set aside.
Rinse and drain the rice well-place in the same pan. Add the water, salt, saffron and barberries. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits.
Cover with ½ the onions.
Nestle in the chicken, skin side up.
Nestle in the rest of the onions, between the chicken. Rice should be at a simmer.
Cover and place in the oven for 12 minutes. Remove the cover and continue cooking until rice is tender and thighs reach 165F, another 10-20 minutes. Broil a few minutes, for extra crispy skin.
Garnish with parsley or cilantro. Pomegranate seeds would be nice here too, or add a nut.
What to Serve with Persian Chicken
This can certainly be enjoyed on its own as a full main course, however, if you are looking for a vegetable side our Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce or Baked Zucchini Tian would be the perfect accompaniment.
Or server with a salad- this Persian Walnut Salad or Lebanese Slaw (Salatet Malfouf) both work!
Persian Chicken also tastes great when served with a scoop of Greek yogurt or tzatziki.
FAQs
We love a mix of bone-in, skin-on breasts and thighs for this recipe because they infuse the rice with incredible flavor.
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes! Let the dish cool completely, then store in airtight containers. Thaw in the fridge before reheating on the stove. Add a splash of water if needed.
More Flavorful Chicken Recipes
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe! Enjoy – xo.
Print
Persian Chicken Recipe
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: chicken recipe, dinner idea, Main
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Persian
Description
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup basmati rice – or other long grain rice- see notes.
- 6 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken- a mix of breasts and thighs are perfect
- Salt to taste (1 teaspoon salt per pound of chicken)
- 2–3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon barberries, optional
- Pinch saffron, crumbled (or sub 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric)
- Optional garnishes: Flat leaf parsley, cilantro, pomegranate seeds, nuts ( slivered almonds, slivered pistachios)
Persian Spice Blend
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Place rice in a bowl and cover with water to soak while you prep the remaining ingredients.
- Mix the Persian spices together in a bowl. Season all sides of the chicken with salt (use 1 teaspoon per pound) then rub the spice blend all over the chicken, using it all. Set chicken aside. See note.
- In a large oven-proof skillet, braiser or Dutch oven, add 1 tablespoon oil and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until tender and fragrant, seasoning with salt and pepper, and set these aside.
- To the same pan, add more oil if needed. Place the chicken skin-side down, gently searing over medium heat, until beatuifully golden, about 4-5 minutes. Turn over, and sear 1-2 minutes. No need to cook through. Set it aside.
- Rinse and drain the rice well-place in the same pan. Add the water, salt, saffron and barberries. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits.
- Cover with ½ the onions. Nestle in the chicken, skin side up.
- Nestle the rest of the onions in between the chicken. Bring rice to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until the rice is just tender.
- Remove the cover and continue baking until rice is tender and thighs reach 165F, another 10-20 minutes depending on chicken size. Feel free to broil for a few minutes if you like a crispier skin.
- Garnish with parsley or cilantro. Pomegranate seeds would be nice here too or add a nut.
Notes
Salt is key here, be intentional about adding roughly 1 teaspoon per pound of chicken, otherwise chicken may be bland.
You can sub Lebanese 7 Spice or even Ras el Hanout for the spices
Serve with a bowl of harissa yogurt. Mix ½ cup plain yogurt with 1 tablespoon harissa paste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One piece chicken with ¾ cup rice
- Calories: 528
- Sugar: 1.2 g
- Sodium: 599.1 mg
- Fat: 21.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 41.3 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 40.2 g
- Cholesterol: 111.4 mg
I have had this recipe bookmarked for a long time and I finally made it tonight. It was absolutely delicious! I used boneless thighs because that is what I had on hand, and I just skipped Step 9 to reduce the baking time. I added chopped apricots and currants to the rice and I think it was good with some sweetness to compliment the saffron. I made the Lebanese Slaw for a side and it was so good!
So happy you enjoyed this Ayla! Appreciate your review.
This is so delicious. I’ve made it at least 10 times, including for a dinner party. It’s reminiscent of Otam Ottolenghi’s chicken although with less fuss. I do borrow one of his tips which is to add a sprinkle of dried dill before you put the chicken in the oven. We also always add pistachios for garnish and a light drizzle of pomegranate molasses. For some reason it’s difficult to find bone-in thighs so I just get a whole chicken and cut it up. We are just two people and believe me when I say we could eat the entire dish in one sitting lol
So happy you are enjoying this Laura! Your additions sound delicious.
Excellent recipe! The spice profile is terrific and the rice keeps its integrity. Followed pretty much as written only adding raisins for some sweetness and a drizzle of pomegranate syrup 💗
Love the additions Diane!