Tahchin (Persian Saffron Rice Cake)
Baked saffron rice cake layered with chicken, forming a golden crust.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Dairy, Egg. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
How this varies: A red-meat version (tahchin-e gusht) swaps chicken for browned lamb or ground beef, and some households layer spinach or eggplant instead of meat for a vegetarian tahchin — the yogurt-rice-tahdig technique stays identical.
Ingredients
- 3 cups basmati rice, soaked 1-2 hours
- 500g boneless chicken thighs
- 1 onion, sliced, plus 1 small onion grated for marinade
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 3 egg yolks
- Generous pinch saffron, ground and bloomed in 3 tbsp hot water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (for chicken marinade)
- 1/2 cup barberries (zereshk), or dried cranberries
- 2 tbsp sugar (for barberries)
- 1/2 cup butter or ghee, melted, divided
- 2 tbsp oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Steps
- Marinate chicken thighs in grated onion, 2 tbsp of the bloomed saffron water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper for at least 1 hour (overnight is better).
- Cook the marinated chicken (poach or pan-sear) until tender, then shred; reserve the cooking juices.
- Caramelize the sliced onion in oil until deep golden; parboil rice in salted water until just al dente (about 6-7 minutes), then drain and rinse.
- Whisk yogurt, egg yolks, remaining saffron water, and half the melted butter into a smooth mixture; divide in half.
- Fold shredded chicken, caramelized onion, and a splash of reserved cooking juices into one half of the yogurt mixture.
- Fold the parboiled rice into the other half of the yogurt mixture.
- Rinse barberries, then briefly sauté in 1 tbsp butter with the sugar for 2-3 minutes just until plumped — do not scorch, they burn fast.
- Coat a heavy pot generously with the remaining butter, press in half the rice mixture, spread all the chicken mixture over it, then top with the remaining rice, pressing down firmly and evenly.
- Cover (wrap the lid in a clean towel to catch condensation) and cook on low heat 45-50 minutes until a deep golden crust forms on the bottom.
- Rest off heat 5 minutes, then invert onto a large plate to unmold, revealing the crisp tahdig on top. Scatter with the buttered barberries.