TIME/SERVINGS
Makes: 4 servings
From:
New Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies , by
Najmieh Batmanglij
INGREDIENTS
For the chicken:
1 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
1 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled, and crushed
2 tablespoons zest of orange
2 tablespoons yogurt
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 Cornish hens, about 4 pounds, each cut into 10 pieces, or 4 pounds of chicken drumettes, or 3 pounds boneless chicken cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (chicken drumettes are cheaper)
5 medium tomatoes, halved
6 flat, swordlike skewers
For the baste:
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
2 12-ounce packages of lavash bread
2 limes, cut in half
Parsley sprigs
INSTRUCTIONS
For the chicken:
In a large bowl, combine half the saffron water and the lime juice, olive oil, onions, garlic, orange zest, yogurt, salt, and pepper. Beat well with a fork. Add the pieces of Cornish hen or chicken and toss well with marinade. Cover and marinate for at least 8 hours and up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Turn the chicken twice during this period.
Start a bed of charcoal 30 minutes before you want to cook and let it burn until the coals glow evenly. (You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process.) Otherwise, preheat the oven broiler.
Skewer the tomatoes.
Spear wings, breasts, and legs onto different skewers (they require different cooking times).
For the baste:
Add the juice of 1 lime and the remaining saffron water to the melted butter. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Paint the tomato and chicken with the basting mixture. Grill the chicken and tomatoes 8 to 15 minutes, until done. Turn frequently and baste occasionally. The chicken is done when the juice that runs out is yellow rather than pink.
To serve:
Spread a whole lavash bread on a serving platter. Paint the chicken with the baste mixture. Remove the grilled chicken from skewers and arrange the pieces on the bread. Garnish with lime juice and sprigs of parsley. Cover the platter with more bread.
Serve immediately with fresh herbs, torshi (Persian pickles), and french fries. Nush-e Jan!
Note: You may broil the chicken pieces in a broiler pan for 10 minutes on each side. During the cooking the door of the broiler should be shut. In this way the broiled chicken will be tender. There is no need to spear chicken pieces onto skewers.
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