Rice with Chicken and Barberries
Sour little red berries called barberries (zereshk in Persian) and yogurt give this chicken-and-rice dish an exciting flavor and texture.
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 2 whole chicken breasts, boned and skinned
- 6 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1½ cups yogurt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ teaspoon powdered saffron or crushed saffron threads
- â…“ cup dried barberries
Instructions:
- Wash the rice in warm water and rinse in a colander under the cold water tap.
- Sauté the chicken pieces in 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil until tender, adding salt and pepper and turning them over once.
- Then cut each piece into 6 slices.
- Mix the yogurt and the egg in a large bowl. The egg prevents the yogurt from curdling. Add salt and pepper and the saffron mixed with 2 tablespoons boiling water. Beat well. Put the pieces of chicken in, and turn them so that they are well coated with the mixture. Then lift them out onto a plate.
- In a large (9-10-inch), heavy-bottomed, preferably nonstick pan, boil the rice in plenty of salted water for about 10 minutes, until it is still a little underdone, then drain quickly. Mix half the rice with the yogurt mixture.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil in the bottom of the pan.
- Cover the bottom and sides with the rice-and-yogurt mixture to form a kind of inner mold. Put a layer of chicken pieces in this mold, sprinkle with a few barberries, and cover with a layer of plain rice. Repeat, making sure that there is always the wall of yogurt-and-rice mixture on the sides, until the ingredients are finished. Using a piece of plastic wrap, press gently down all over.
- Put the lid on and cook for about 30 minutes on very low heat.
- To serve, turn out onto a serving platter. If the sides are not detached from the pan, cut around them with a pointed knife. The outside should be a crisp brown crust, and the beautiful yellow and white layered inside crumbly. If you are not using a nonstick pan, dipping the bottom into cold water will help you to turn out the rice.