Persian Chicken Tah Cheen Recipes

PERSIAN CHICKEN - TAH CHEEN

Steps:

• Wash rice and soak it in warm water (with added salt) for 2 hours, then filter out the water.
• Chop onions thinly and fry in oil until slightly golden.
• Wash and cut chicken, remove skin, and fry in onions until color changes.
• Add some water and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer slowly until cooked, adding more water if needed, then remove the bones.
• While chicken is cooking, beat the yogurt until it is smooth.
• Dissolve saffron in half a cup of hot water.
• Add saffron, salt, pepper and egg yolks to the yogurt and mix very well.
• Pour a few glasses of water in a large pot and bring to boil.
• Pour in rice and cook while stirring occasionally until rice grows longer and slightly softens (Take care not to overcook the rice, it should still be too hard for eating); again filter out the water.
• Pour several spoons of oil and several spoons of the yogurt mix into a non-stick pot.
• Add a thin layer of rice and flatten using the back of a spoon; add a layer of chicken on top followed by another layer of rice, then flatten the rice.
• Spread several more spoons of the yogurt mix on the rice.
• Continue in this fashion until chicken, rice and the yogurt mix have been used up, then add some more oil on top.
• Put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
• Place the pot in an oven (preheated to 250 F) and cook for 1.
• 5 to 2 hours (Note that the longer Tah Chin is cooked, the thicker the Tah Dig- delicious crispy layer of rice at the bottom- will be).
• When cooked, remove the lid and let cool for a few minutes.
• Place an inverted large dish over the pot and turn it over.
• Tap the pot in order to loosen the contents inside (The contents should fall on the dish in one piece with the Tah Dig on the outside).

TAHCHEEN (IRANIAN)

Steps:

• Cut onions in large pieces and crush garlic cloves. Place vegetables in a pan.
• Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place on top of onion and garlic.
• Add 1 cup water. Cover and cook 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
• While your chicken is cooking, mix the yogurt, egg yolks, and saffron in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• When chicken is done, shred it into medium-sized chunks with two forks.
• Add chicken to the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate over night.
• Parboil your rice by washing it several times under water until it runs clear. Then, soak the rice in water and salt over night, or at least an hour. After soaking, bring fresh water to a boil. Add fresh salt and drained rice. As soon as the water starts to boil, lower the heat and cook 10 minutes. While the rice cooks, gently scoop the rice from the bottom of the pot and bring to the surface and release. You are not stirring here! Drain the rice in a colander and check for done-ness (soft and cooked, but not mushy). rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Remove chicken from the marinade and add your parboiled rice to the remainder of the yogurt marinade and mix well. Season as needed.
• Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a casserole/Pyrex dish. Coat the dish, including the sides, with the oil.
• Place half of the rice in the dish and make sure it is even.
• Arrange the chicken on top of the rice in a single layer.
• Add remainder of the rice on top and flatten the top slightly by pressing down with a spatula.
• Pour the 2 tablespoons melted butter over the rice.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 for 2 1/2 hours.

TAHCHEEN (TAH-CHIN)

Steps:

• Chop onions and fry in oil until slightly golden then add the turmeric to it. Fry chicken in onions until color changes. Add 1/2 - 1c water and bring to boil. Turn heat down and let boil slowly until chicken is cooked.
• While chicken is cooking, beat the yogurt until it is smooth. Dissolve saffron in half a cup of hot water. Add saffron, salt, pepper and optional eggs to the yogurt and mix very well.
• Wash rice and pour 3c water in a large pot and bring to boil. Pour in rice and cook while stirring occasionally until rice is al dente. Drain. (Basmati will cook a lot quicker than regular rice).
• Pour several spoons of oil and several spoons of the yogurt mix into a non-stick pot. Add a thin layer of rice and flatten using the back of a spoon. Add a layer of chicken on top followed by another layer of rice. Again flatten the rice. Spread several more spoons of the yogurt mix on the rice. Continue in this fashion until chicken, rice and the yogurt mix have been used up. Add some more oil on top.
• Put the lid on and cook for about 1.5 hours on medium low heat. Note that the longer Tah-Chin is cooked, the thicker the TahDig (delicious crispy layer of rice at the bottom) will be. When cooked, remove the lid and let cool for a few minutes. Place an inverted large dish over the pot and turn it over. Tap the pot in order to loosen the contents inside. The contents should fall on the dish in one piece with the Tah-Dig on the outside.