This is the story of how finding my perfect wedding dress, led to eating some of the tastiest saffron chicken this side of the Atlantic!
I started planning our wedding WAAAAAY before we got engaged. So when Frank proposed to me, I went straight to the wedding boutique to buy my dress.
They didn’t have the dress in stock, so I ordered it and put down a deposit without even trying it on. Good thing I ordered it immediately! because the designer discontinued it just two weeks later!
They called me and said they would still make the dress because I had ordered it in time. Whew!
My seamstress ended up being the sweetest lady I could have met. And that’s when I met Afsaneh. :)
Afsaneh pinned and sighed, and looked, and pinned, and trimmed, and hemmed until my dress fit perfectly! I had 3 different fittings, and every time, we just talked and talked and talked. We struck up a friendship, and she invited me over for dinner, where she made this WONDERFUL saffron chicken.
Afsaneh’s Iranian Saffron Chicken
1.5 lbs chicken pieces (preferably leg quarters, or a whole chicken cut into pieces)
1 large onion, sliced
1 inch ginger, grated
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 large carrots
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup water or chicken stock
Pinch of saffron
Sea salt to taste
First, dice all your veggies.
Then heat up 2 TBSP butter or coconut oil in a large, deep pan. Toss in the onions, and stir occasionally, until they begin to brown.
Make sure there is still enough oil on the bottom of the pan, then add the chicken pieces in a single layer. Cook the chicken on one side, until it is browned. You will know it is done when the chicken no longer sticks to the pan. Then flip it over, and brown the other side.
Measure out a cup of water or chicken stock, and stir in the threads of saffron. Stir until the water turns bright yellow.
About this much saffron… Or less! It’s potent!
Pour the saffron liquid into the pan, and add the ginger, garlic, carrots, and peppers. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season with sea salt to taste. Sometimes, I like to sprinkle it with cayenne pepper, too, for an extra kick. Serve over cabbage ribbons, rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice.
