Persian Saffron Chicken and Barberry Rice

1. Take your chicken and place the whole onion, half lemon, and garlic cloves inside the cavity. Place in your deep casserole pan.

2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add the carrots around the chicken and pour the saffron water (save a couple of tablespoons of saffron water for your rice) over the top of the chicken and carrots.

3. Put the lid on and place the dish in the preheated oven. Let it cook for 2 hours. Take out and check after 90 minutes, with a spoon take some of the juices from the bottom and spoon over the top of the chicken, place back in the oven.

4. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add. A generous sprinkling of salt and then gently pour in the rice.

5. Place a colander/ sieve in the sink. Allow the rice to come to a boil, after 6-7 minutes the rice should start coming to the top of the water, carefully using a teaspoon, take a little rice out – it wants to be slightly soft on the outside but still hard on the inside.

6. Drain the rice through your sieve or colander.

7. Place your pan back on the heat, add the ghee and the saved saffron water. When it has melted, add the rice back in the pan in the shape of a pyramid (don’t squash it down) as it needs to now steam.

8. Wrap a clean tea towel around the lid, and place on lid back on the pan. (This allows the tea towel to collect the excess water to stop the rice going soggy. Turn the heat down to the lowest it can go so that the rice doesn’t burn. Let it gently cook like this for at least 45 minutes so that it can create a crispy bottom.

9. 15 minutes before you are ready to serve your food, prepare your barberries –
In a little frying pan, gently heat a little olive oil/ghee and then add the sliced onion, allow it to gently cook, and caramelise. Add your barberries and one tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to taste (the berries can be very sour) and stir continuously.