Samin Nosrat’s Joojeh Kabob Roast Chicken
Inspired by Persian cuisine, Samin Nosrat's whole chicken is roasted with a saffron and yogurt marinade that is brimming with flavour. Serve with some rice and a salad to complete this feast.
From the book
Good Things
125 recipe from the best-selling author of Salt Fat Acid Heat
Flavourful dishes that celebrate the pleasure of cooking food and sharing meals
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Introduction
Growing up, my family didn’t eat out very often. 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.
Keen to see more of the recipes from Good Things? Take a look at some of Samin’s favourites from the book here.
Ingredients
| 1 | whole chicken (1.6 to 1.8kg) |
| Kosher salt | |
| ½ tsp | saffron threads, ground and bloomed (see note below recipe instructions) |
| 1 tbsp | tomato purée |
| 4 tbsp | freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice |
| 365g | natural yogurt or buttermilk |
| 1 | brown onion, thinly sliced |
| 2 | garlic cloves, finely grated |
| ½ tsp | coarsely ground black pepper |
Method
Requires overnight marinating
The day before you plan to cook, spatchcock the chicken (see note below) and generously season it with salt on both sides.
Let the chicken sit at room temperature while you prepare the marinade.
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 yogurt, onion, garlic, and pepper. Add the chicken, seal the bag, and squish the yogurt 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.
An hour before cooking, remove the chicken from the yogurt and scrape off any aromatics. Bring the chicken to room temperature.
Adjust an oven rack to the centre position and preheat to 220°C
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.)
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving with crispy rice (page 155 of Good Things), garlic and herb labne (page 48 of Good Things), and Shirazi salad (page 247 of Good Things).
Notes
Grinding and blooming saffron: To get the most out of precious saffron, grind it and then bloom it in hot water before adding it to food. Use a small mortar and pestle to grind saffron threads into a fine powder with a pinch of salt. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of boiling water and allow the saffron to steep for 10 minutes. Carefully add the bloomed “tea” to your recipe, using a little more hot water to swirl every last drop of saffron out of the mortar.
To spatchcock chicken: Use heavy-duty kitchen scissors to remove the backbone (on the underside of the bird) by snipping down along both sides of it. You can start from the tail or neck end, whichever you prefer. Next, clip off the wingtips. Reserve the backbone and wingtips for stock. Lay the chicken, breast-side up, on the chopping board. Use your hands to push down on the breastbone until the bird flattens and you hear the cartilage pop.
Variation: To barbecue Joojeh Kabobs, marinate 900g to 1.4kg of seasoned boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 4cm pieces overnight. Remove from the marinade and thread onto metal or bamboo skewers. Grill over medium-high heat until cooked through and gloriously charred and golden on the surface, about 5 minutes per side.
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