5 Best Recipes for Entertaining

I found this recipe one year in an Iranian cookbook and had to try it. I made it a few times for my family and each time we loved the dish. Rosemary isn’t a common spice used in Iranian recipes, but the rosemary blended well with the saffron. You can buy saffron at a grocery store and prices vary depending on whether it’s saffron threads or powder, and the quantity (threads are more than powder).

Ingredients:

2 good pinches of saffron powder
2 good pinches of saffron threads
1 1/3 lbs chicken tenders
2 Tbsp. garlic oil
1 1/2 oz rosemary
2 heaped tsp. of crushed sea salt flakes
Freshly ground pepper

Directions: 

Grind the saffron threads with mortar and pestle (I used a spoon), then put with the other powder. Pour over the boiling water and leave to infuse for at least 20 minutes or until the water has cooled and turned a deep red colour.

Place the chicken strips in a bowl and add the garlic oil, rosemary, sea salt, a generous seasoning of black pepper, and then saffron water. Mix well so that the chicken is evenly coated with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for an hour to marinate.

Preheat a large frying pan over medium-high heat, drizzle a little oil into the pan, and without overcrowding the pan, fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until a nice golden brown crust forms and they are cooked through. Serve hot alongside a salad such as Fattoush, or Quinoa Salad with Toasted Pistachios, Preserved Lemon and Zucchini. It went perfectly with the Imam Fainted too!