# Persian Tahchin with Saffron and Chicken

> Tahchin is turned out onto a plate with **a golden crust as solid as a cake**. The secret is that the base layer is mixed with yogurt, egg yolk and saffron — the fat and protein bind the grains together into the crust the Persians call tahdig.

**Persian Cuisine · 120 min · 6 servings · 520 kcal per serving**

Tahchin is one of the most beautiful Persian rice dishes, and its name means 'arranged at the bottom'. White rice baked in a dish over a saffron and yogurt layer, then flipped so it emerges like a cake with a golden crust. Its appearance makes any gathering special.

## Ingredients


### Rice
- 3 cups — basmati rice
- 3 tbsp — salt (for the boiling water)

### The base mixture
- 1 cup — full-fat yogurt
- 3 — egg yolks
- 0.5 tsp — ground saffron + 0.25 cup hot water
- 0.33 cup — melted butter
- 1 tsp — salt

### The chicken
- 600 g — chicken breast
- 1 — onion, chopped
- 1 tsp — turmeric
- 1 tsp — salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp — oil

### Garnish
- 0.5 cup — barberries (zereshk) or raisins
- 0.25 cup — slivered pistachios and almonds

## Method

1. **Soak the rice** — Rinse the rice until the water runs clear and soak it in salted water for **at least an hour**. Soaking stops the grains breaking.
2. **Part-boil** — Boil the rice in salted boiling water for **only 6 minutes** — it must stay half raw (it breaks between two fingers with a firm core). Drain and rinse with lukewarm water.
3. **The chicken** — Soften the onion, add the chicken, turmeric, salt, pepper and a little water, and cook 20 minutes until done. Shred it into strands.
4. **The saffron** — Grind the saffron fine and dissolve it in a quarter cup of hot water, leaving it 10 minutes until the colour is strong.
5. **The base mixture** — Mix the yogurt, egg yolks, saffron, butter and salt, and fold in **a third of the boiled rice** gently.
6. **Assemble** — Butter a dish or non-stick pot, press the base mixture into it, then half the remaining rice, then the chicken and barberries, then the rest of the rice.
7. **Bake** — Cover tightly with foil and bake at 180°C for **an hour**, then remove the foil and give it 20 minutes more until the base browns.
8. **Flip** — Let it rest 10 minutes, set a large plate over it and flip it in one decisive movement. Scatter the pistachios and almonds.

## Tips

- The rice is only part-boiled. Fully cooked rice turns to paste in the oven.
- Grind the saffron and dissolve it in hot water — whole threads give no colour.
- Ten minutes of resting before the flip makes it release from the dish.
- If the flip worries you, serve it by the spoonful from the dish — the taste is the same.

## FAQ

### What is tahdig?
The golden crisp crust that forms at the bottom of a pot of Persian rice. In tahchin it covers the whole dish because it is flipped, and it is the part Iranians prize most.

### Saffron is expensive — is there a substitute?
Turmeric gives a similar colour but not the aroma. If you do use saffron, a quarter teaspoon is enough for the whole dish — grinding it and dissolving it in hot water doubles its effect.

### Can I use lamb or make it vegetarian?
Yes — seasoned minced meat, or a vegetarian version with browned aubergine and barberries.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/persian-cuisine/persian-tahchin-with-saffron-and-chicken
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-10-31