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# Crisp-Crusted Persian-Style Saffron Rice with Chicken
Start to finish: 1¼ hours (30 minutes active), plus soaking
Servings: 4
Tahchin is a traditional Persian dish of basmati rice mixed with saffron, yogurt and egg yolks, then baked into a cake. For serving, the rice is inverted out of the baking vessel, revealing the tahdig, or the crisp, deeply browned crust, which many consider the main attraction of the dish. Achieving perfect tahdig can be tricky, but in this recipe, a 5-cup Pars Automatic Persian Rice cooker takes the guesswork out of it, yielding fantastic results every time. Though tahchin can be plain, it often is filled with cooked vegetables or meat. Here, we make a simplified version of tahchin morgh, or tahchin with chicken. A bright tomato-onion salad is a nice accompaniment to the tahchin.
—Courtney Hill and Rebecca Richmond
1½ cups basmati rice
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
2 tablespoons boiling water
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 teaspoons grated lemon zest, divided
2 medium garlic cloves, finely grated
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1- to 1½-inch pieces
½ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons dried currants
2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 4 pieces
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to serve
Roughly chopped roasted pistachios, to serve
In a medium bowl, combine the rice with enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours. Drain the rice in a fine-mesh sieve, then rinse under cool running water and drain again. In a ramekin or small bowl, stir together the saffron and boiling water.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the saffron water and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the chicken and stir until evenly coated. In a large bowl, stir together the remaining 2 teaspoons lemon zest and the remaining saffron water. Stir in the drained rice.
In the insert of a 5-cup Pars Automatic Persian Rice Cooker, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and ½ cup of the rice mixture. Stir well, then distribute in an even layer. To the remaining rice mixture, add the chicken mixture, along with the yogurt, egg yolk, currants and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir well, then transfer to the rice cooker insert and distribute in an even layer; do not press or compact the layers. Drizzle in 1 cup water and dot with the butter. Cover with the lid and turn on the rice cooker, setting the timer for 40 minutes.
When cooking is complete, immediately shut off the rice cooker by turning the dial to the “off” position, bypassing the “keep warm” stage. Let the rice rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid. Using potholders, carefully lift the insert out of the housing and set it on a heat-safe surface. Invert a platter over the insert. Holding the platter against the insert, carefully invert the two together, then lift off the insert. Sprinkle the rice with parsley and pistachios.
