“Growing up, my family didn’t eat out very often,” says chef Samin Nosrat. “But when we did, it was almost always at a Persian chelo kababi, where we’d each order a humongous platter of buttery saffron rice topped with two skewers of grilled meat and a grilled tomato.
“We each had our favourites, and mine was invariably joojeh kabob – tender, tangy pieces of saffron-and-yogurt– marinated chicken. Joojeh kabob was so deeply ingrained into my food memories that years later it was a primary source of inspiration when I developed my recipe for buttermilk-brined roast chicken.
“And because it’s just about the best roast chicken I’ve ever tasted, I used that recipe as the starting point for this one. The chicken still brines overnight in a flavourful, well-seasoned marinade of yogurt or buttermilk, but this time, saffron, onions, lime, garlic, and a little tomato purée are layered in to deliver the precise combination of acidity, sweetness, and umami that makes joojeh kabob so irresistible.”
Joojeh kabob roast chicken
Serves: 4
Requires overnight marinating
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (1.6 to 1.8kg)
Kosher salt
½ tsp saffron threads, ground and bloomed
1 tbsp tomato purée
4 tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
365g natural yoghurt or buttermilk
1 brown onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Method:
1. The day before you plan to cook, spatchcock the chicken and generously season it with salt on both sides. Let the chicken sit at room temperature while you prepare the marinade.
2. In an extra-large zip-lock plastic bag, whisk together the bloomed saffron, tomato purée, and lime juice until evenly combined. Add 2 tablespoons (18g) kosher salt and the yoghurt, onion, garlic, and pepper. Add the chicken, seal the bag, and squish the yoghurt all over the chicken. Place it on a rimmed plate and refrigerate. If you’re so inclined, over the next 24 hours you can turn the bag so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but it’s not essential.
3. An hour before cooking, remove the chicken from the yoghurt and scrape off any aromatics. Bring the chicken to room temperature.
4. Adjust an oven rack to the centre position and preheat to 220C.
5. Arrange the chicken, breast-side up, on a wire rack set over a baking tray (line the tray with parchment to make clean-up easier). Cook until the chicken is a dark golden brown and the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh, about 45 minutes. (Loosely cover the chicken with a piece of foil for the last 10 minutes if the skin is getting too dark.)
5. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving with crispy rice, garlic and herb labneh, and Shirazi salad.
Recipe from ‘Good Things’ by Samin Nosrat (Ebury Press, £30).
