Persian Style Chicken, Almonds, Apricots & Orange Zest.

[Alexandria Profile]

Persian Chicken, with Almonds, Apricots & Orange Zest ..

I had received a lovely Persian Cookbook as a gift and prior to tourism season ( I have been in Portugal ), I had prepared this extraordinarily exceptional dish ..

Here is a simple aromatic and gorgeous recipe:


Persian Chicken with Almonds, Apricots and Orange Zest ..

3 tblsps. Italian Evoo ..
1 Kilo of skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 inch strips longitude .. (we do not eat dark meat chicken, however, you can sub any chicken parts that you fancy, skin on and bone in)
1 Tsp. Of Smoked Paprika from La Vera, Extremadura ( you can use Hungarian Paprika if you prefer )
1 / 2 tsp. of ground cinammon
a pinch of Cardamon
1 large onion ( I use Galician sweet yellow onion )
2 cups reduced chicken broth from chicken stock
1/2 cup of tiny dried apricots ( one can use fresh if they prefer, and / or another dried fruit of choice )
2 Tblsps of grated orange zest
1/ 2 cup slivered toasted almonds ( one can sub hazelnuts or pistachios if they wish to )
Optional: 6 Threads of Saffron, soaked in a tiny shot glass of Mineral Water ( toss into the broth mixture with the liquid )
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1) After thoroughly washing the chicken breasts and patting dry well, toss the breasts with paprika, cinammon and cardamon.
2) In a deep skillet, heat 2 tablesp of Evoo over low to medium heat.
3) Add the breasts, stirring occasionally and remove skillet and set aside.

4) Now, IN A SEPARATE SKILLET, add the minced onion and sauté 8 minutes until tender approx. and stir occasionally.

5) Add the rice of your choice, ( I use couscous and prepare it separately in a Moroccan couscous steamer ) and add the apricots, broth and the orange zest and bring to boil.


6) Cover and reduce the heat to very low simmer, 15 minutes approx.


7) Stir in the reserved chicken and almonds and cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until all the broth is absorbed ..


8) This dish serves 4 people as a main entrée ..


Note: I have prepared it with bio Basmati and also with bio white long grain rice, however, I personally prefer to serve this dish with Couscous ..

This was superbly splendid ..

Have a lovely day and weekend ..

[Renee Profile]

What a lovely recipe, Member 461! I have a great leaning towards Middle Eastern dishes and love the fragrance of them, if that makes sense! I can easily obtain all the ingredients and will make this very soon. I would also prefer couscous.

What is the name of your Persian cookbook?

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée,


Thank you very much for your feedback ..

I am a grand enthusiast of Aegean Greek, Moroccan, Libanese, Persian, Israeli, Syrian, Arabian amongst other regional Mid Eastern Cuisines .. And I too love the aromas and aesthetics of such impeccably clean cuisine

The author of the cookbook, who now resides in France, is: Authoress Najmieh Batmangli ..

The name of the cookbook is: Joon, Persian Cooking Made Simple ..

I am planning to purchase two other Iranian Chef Cookbooks, one who is living in England I believe, or had lived in England, however, I forget her name at the moment ..


The Publisher if I recall is: Phaidon ..


Have a lovely day ..

[Renee Profile]

Thank you Member 461. I found the book Joon Persian Cooking Made Simple and found the author's website, which you will probably find interesting as I did. I also found another book that I would really love to get by Sabrina Ghayour:

http://www.najmieh.com/cookbooks/

https://www.sabrinaghayour.com/#feasts-out-now

[Renee Profile]

I've just ordered the greatly reduced book by Sabrina Ghayour through Amazon UK.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feasts-Sunday- ... rds=feasts

[Amyw Profile]

Renee I’d probably recommend Sabrina’s first two books over Feasts personally . The dishes I’ve cooked from Persiana and Sirocco were lovely

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée,

Thank you very much for all the book links.

The cookbook that I would also like to have is one that you mentioned: Author Sabrina Ghaynor ..


My French mom in law recommended it to me, however, I am in Portugal and could not remember the Iranian Lady Chef´s name ..

I believe she may live in England as well ..


I shall definitely enjoy the links .. Appreciate very much ..

Have a lovely evening .. And summer ..

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée,

www.sabrinaghayour.com

Her blog is lovely and she states, she is a regular on the BBC TV, Saturday cooking programming ..

She also has numerous recipes in the following Media:

www.theguardian.com

www.bbc.com/food/chefs/sabrina_ghayour

[Renee Profile]

Member 461!

I really don't know how I missed seeing your post with the links! I shall have to blame the hot weather! We're not used to it y'know!

I will have a good read through now!

Thank you so much!

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée,

I ordered Sabrina´s book as well, and my office had signed for it ..

So, when I finally get home, I am so excited to prepare some Persian specialties and shall try to catch her programme on the BBC .. I have the channel at home ..

I shall see if I can catch it here in Lisbon too !!

Yes, do please check out the links I posted ..

Have a wonderful day & summer too ..

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée,

The hotel recommended a marvel of a Persian Restaurant to me, in Lisbon ( where I shall be until the 30th July ) ..

It is called: 1,000 Nights Iranian

It is located @: R. Joao Villaret 11 ..

I am going to put this on our Itinerary for the next group.

The tourists vote for the restaurants by type of cuisine: Portuguese, Tapas, Italian, Brazilian, Persian, Moroccan, Thai, Michelin ( this is included in their cost of their entire travel package ) etcetra ..

The hotel further revealled some of the most wonderful appetisers:

Mirza Ghasemi: Charred aubergine with garlic ..

Borani: Spinach sautéed in garlic and Greek Yoghurt ..

Jooje Kabab: Boneless chicken breast marinated in a lemon and saffron sauce served with Basmati Rice and grilled tomato ..

Bakhtiyari: A chicken kabab ..

Koobideh: Two skewers of veal or lamb served on skewers with Basmati ..

Sounds wonderful and it is very reasonable on the budget too .. Appetisers and mains run from 2.50 Euros to 13 Euros !!

The desserts caught my attention:

Baghalva: Baklava

Bastani Sonati: Iranian icecream prepared with rose water, pistachios and saffron !

Shole zard: Shole zard signifies rice, and this is a saffron, rice dessert prepared with rose water and cardamom and cinammon, almonds and pistachios ..


Definitely, on my list ..

Have a wonderful weekend ..

[Renee Profile]

That is definitely my kind of food, Member 461, except for the desserts. I won't be having any more holidays abroad, but will most certainly make some of the recipes! Thanks for all your inspiration!

Have a wonderful time in Lisbon!