Some spell it Tahchin, while others spell it Tahcheen. It doesn’t matter how you spell it, all that matters is that this is a delicious dish. I have been meaning to make a rice recipe cooked in a baking mold for a while. Today is Valentine’s Day, so I thought it would be appropriate to choose a heart shaped mold for my Tahcheen Ghalebi.
The first recipe that I posted for Tahcheen only used saffron as a coloring agent. The truth is that in order to get that beautiful golden yellow color there is need for either a lot of saffron or some type of coloring agent. I don’t like using food colorants, so instead I used turmeric which added color and flavor.
Season chicken with salt, pepper, and turmeric, then cook on a bed of sliced onions and garlic.
Mix ground saffron with 5 tablespoons of chicken broth. 
Mix yogurt, egg yolks and saffron. Add chicken, mix well, then cover and refrigerate overnight. 
Boil 9 cups of water. Once it comes to a boil add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. Add rice and cook for 10 minutes. Strain and rinse with cold water. 
Remove the chicken and yogurt mixture from the fridge and separate the chicken leaving behind as much of the yogurt mixture as possible. Add a bit of salt then mix with the drained rice. 
Evenly spread 3 tablespoons of canola oil all over the baking mold including the walls. Depending on the size of the dish, place half the rice at the bottom of the dish. 
Add a layer of chicken making sure to keep the about half an inch space between the chicken and the walls of the dish. 
Cover with the remainder of the rice. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, then evenly pour over the rice. Cover and bake in a 350° oven for 2 1/2 hours.
Wash and drain Zereshk. 5 minutes before the rice is ready, melt one tablespoon of butter in a skillet. Add zereshk and sugar. Sauté for a few minutes on low stirring frequently until the berries plump up.
When the rice is ready invert onto a platter then top with Zereshk.
- 1lb chicken breast or thighs
- 1 onion, sliced into rounds
- 3 cloves garlic, cut into slices
- 1 tsp + ½ tsp turmeric
- 3 cups yogurt
- 1 tsp saffron threads
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 cups rice
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 cup zereshk
- 1 tbsp sugar
- salt & pepper
- Season chicken with salt, pepper, and turmeric. Place on top of slices of onions and garlic. Add ½ cup of water. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
- Remove chicken and shred using two forks. Strain the broth while it's still hot and reserve 5 tablespoons of it.
- Pulverize saffron threads with a dash of salt or sugar. Pour in the reserved chicken broth and mix well.
- In a bowl combine yogurt, egg yolks, and the liquid saffron. Add shredded chicken, mix well, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Boil 9 cups of water. Once it comes to a boil add 1 tablespoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of turmeric. Add rice and cook for 10 minutes. Strain and rinse with cold water.
- The following day remove the chicken and yogurt mixture from the fridge and separate the chicken leaving behind as much of the yogurt mixture as possible. Add a bit of salt then mix with the drained rice.
- Evenly spread 3 tablespoons of canola oil all over a baking mold including the walls. Place half of the rice at the bottom of the dish.
- Add a layer of chicken making sure to keep about half an inch space between the chicken and the wall of the dish.
- Cover with the remainder of the rice. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, then evenly pour over the rice. Cover and bake in a 350° oven for 2½ hours.
- Wash and drain Zereshk. Melt one tablespoon of butter in a skillet. Add zereshk and sugar. Sauté for a few minutes on low stirring frequently until the berries plump up.
- When the rice is ready invert onto a platter then top with Zereshk.
