Persian Grilled Saffron Chicken بهترین جوجه کباب (Joojeh Kabob) 

Persian Joojeh Kabob Recipe Grilled saffron chicken (Joojeh) with grilled tomatoes (Goejeh) Serves: 6 INGREDIENTS: 4 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh meat (6 regular breasts or 4 super-large breasts) 1/2 tsp Ground saffron 1 large White onion, thinly sliced (not shredded) 1 ½ cups Plain yogurt (we use non-fat yogurt) 3/4 cup Fresh-squeezed lime juice (divided; 1/2 cup for marinade and 1/4 cup for the basting sauce) 3 tbsp Vegetable oil 2 tbsp Butter (for the basting sauce) Flatbread or Persian Lavash bread 6 Firm Roma tomatoes (1 per person) Salt and fresh ground black pepper NOTE: You can add a small amount of salt in the marinade and add more on the grill if it needs more. After you have made this kabob a few times you will know how much to add in total and add it from the start. YOU WILL ALSO NEED: • Charcoal or gas grill (grates removed, so you can rest skewers on the front and back edges) • 7 flat stainless-steel skewers. If you can’t find stainless steel skewers, use bamboo wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes ahead of grilling. The problem with non-flat skewers is that they don’t rest flat on one side to allow meat to cook as intended (they roll back). If you decide to use round/needle shaped or bamboo skewers, place the grill grates back on to be able to cook one side or the other of chicken skewers. • Two large bowls for preparing and mixing chicken and marinades. • A brush to apply the basting sauce to the meat on the grill. A silicon brush is ideal for this task. • Have some flatbread (such as Persian Lavash Bread) ready to put under the chicken kabobs in the tray/plate where you store them as they come off the grill. Flour tortillas work well for this purpose. The “bread under the kabob” (Noon-e Zir Kabob) is considered a delicacy! You must try it to believe it! DIRECTIONS: MAKE THE SAFFRON SOLUTION: Grind saffron threads as fine as possible in a spice grinder or pestle & mortar. Measure 1 teaspoon of ground saffron. Add the ground saffron to ¾ cup of hot water and stir a few times. Let saffron brew for at least 5 minutes before using. NOTE: Never use saffron threads in your food. Always grind saffron threads before soaking in hot water to extract the maximum color and flavor from the expensive saffron! PREPARE THE CHICKEN: We can cut the chicken in different shapes and sizes to put on the skewer. The most common styles are (1) Cut chicken in rectangular shaped pieces about the size of a matchbox or (2) Cut chicken breast in slices that resemble a chicken tenderloin. If you are using boneless chicken thighs, then you can only cut the rectangular shapes. Once all breasts (or thighs) have been cut, put all the pieces in a large bowl. PRE-MARINATE THE CHICKEN IN SAFFRON SOLUTION: Add all but 2 Tablespoons of the prepared saffron solution to the chicken in the bowl and stir to coat all pieces. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour. START MAKING THE MARINADFE: Put the yogurt, ½ cup of the lime juice, vegetable oil and sliced onions in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. NOTE: Shredded onion is not recommended for this marinade because it burns on the grill and makes you think your chicken is ready before it really is! MARINATE THE CHICKEN After an hour, add the onion/yogurt marinade to the pre-marinated chicken. Stir well. Put the chicken back in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour, and no longer than 4 hours. NOTE: I prefer adding the SALT and PEPPER on the chicken AFTER it has been marinated. After the marination time has completed and before you put the chicken pieces on skewers, apply a generous amount of salt and black pepper on all sides of chicken pieces and massage them to absorb it. Adding salt early tends to toughen the chicken. MAKE THE BASTING SAUCE: Put 2 tablespoons remaining saffron solution, the remaining ¼ cup of the lime juice and 2 tablespoons of butter in a ramekin and microwave to melt the butter and warm the mixture. Stir thoroughly and set aside. START THE GRILL FIRE I prefer grilling Joojeh Kabob on charcoal fire, but it can be done on a gas grill as well, just ensure your grill is pre-heated at the highest possible temperature. To ensure your charcoal is ready and at optimal high heat, start the charcoal fire right before you start putting the chicken on the skewers. SKEWER THE CHICKEN If using tenderloin-shaped chicken pieces (cut from breasts), the best way to put them on the skewer is to roll them in a spiral shape. Start from the thinner part of the chicken tenderloin and finish the twist with the thick end, making sure the chicken is firmly on the skewer. Each skewer should hold 4-5 pieces of spiral-shaped chicken. Apply SALT & PEPPER on all sides of skewered chicken (to taste). If you cut the chicken in rectangular pieces, spear 5 to 6 pieces on the skewer. OPTIONAL: Add bell peppers or onions between the chicken pieces on the skewer. This enhances your presentation and adds some tasty and healthy sides to your meal. SKEWER THE TOMATOES (GOEJEH) Cut the Roma tomatoes in halves. Place the halves on skewers. Apply salt and pepper on both sides. GRILL THE CHICKEN: Make sure chicken is room temperature before you start grilling. Lay the chicken skewers on the grill, resting on the front and back edges about half an inch apart. Tomato skewers can go on the grill at the same time, if your grill is large enough. Otherwise cook the chicken skewers first and then cook the tomatoes. See the next section, GRILLING THE TOMATOES. Cook the skewers for about 2-3 minutes on the first side. Turn the skewers and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes. Close the lid to ensure thorough cooking but be mindful of flareups. Lean chicken should not cause flareups but once you start basting with the butter saffron sauce you will see flareups that you have to manage. After both sides have been sealed and you’re starting to see some brown color, start turning the skewers once a minute and basting lightly with the warm butter/lime/saffron sauce. The basting sauce intensifies the signature Joojeh Kabob flavor and keeps the chicken moist. NOTE: When brushing the basting sauce on, do not drench the chicken; just apply a nominal amount of sauce with each pass. This ensures you do not have excess butter dripping down to cause flareups. Turn skewers and arrange them as needed to prevent burning the meat. During the last minute of cooking, use a pair of kitchen shears to snip the unsightly burnt tips off all chicken pieces. NOTE: Every grill has a different heat signature/level so you may have to experiment and learn how/what your grill does with Joojeh kabob. You may have to ruin a batch or two to master how long to cook and how hot the fire should be. Once you master the heat and timing on your grill, you will enjoy GREAT Joojeh kabob for a long time! At the grill, have a serving dish lined with flatbread/tortillas ready to collect the kabobs as they come off the grill. Once the chicken is cooked and ready, take the skewer(s) off the grill and push the chicken pieces off the skewer onto the bread. The bread under the kabob (Noon-e Zir Kabob) is a tasty delicacy and often fought over! NOTE: To avoid burning your hand as you remove the hot chicken, use a folded piece of bread or a fork to push the pieces off the skewer onto the serving plate. Tent with a piece of foil to keep the chicken warm until the rest of the chicken and tomato skewers are done. GRILLING THE TOMATOES: Place the tomato skewers on the grill for 3-4 minutes on each side, or as long as it takes to get a sexy dark brown char on both sides, especially the skin side. It’s okay if you get a burn on the skin side of the tomatoes because people usually remove the burnt skin before eating. NOTE: Apply the saffron/lime/butter basting sauce on the tomatoes as well. SERVING SUGGESTIONS Joojeh Kabob and grilled tomatoes are best served right away but are also tasty for several days as leftovers. Enjoy Joojeh Kabob with grilled tomatoes (Goejeh), Persian saffron rice, and a salad. You can also wrap the Joojeh Kabob in flatbread with fresh herbs and grilled tomatoes and eat as a sandwich! Common herbs to serve with Joojeh Kabob are basil, green onions, parsley, tarragon and fenugreek. Enjoy!

I love Persian food. Thanks for sharing.

Omg I am so glad I found your channel love your recipe thanks 🙏👍

Really looking forward to making this this week! Thank you so much for this video!! 😋

Thank you for sharing your gift, making all of these as you guide us.

So nice of you to create the videos .. great job

Looks amazing, headed out to get saffron now! YUM.

Thanks for your recipes baradar. Love them 💕

Thank you. Love the details and tips

Terrific content, recipe and presentation. Bravo agha.

Look delicious I love Persian food 🍱 ❤😊

Great video, presentation, information and instruction. Subscribed. Love and respect from England UK ❤

very good video. aghayeh bagheri damet garm

First time visiting your channel and already a fan. Watched your koobideh kebab recipe too. Beautiful ❤️

دست شما درد نکند و خسته نباشی جوجه کیاب عالی و با طرز خرد کردن و درست کردن و پختن خیلی خوب و با حال و بی نظیر 🙏 خیلی با حالی داداش 😊

This is amazing, thank you so much for sharing. Looking forward to making this on the BBQ

Your channel just lit up my life man! I've always loved Iranian food and culture, and I love my charcoal grill, and you bring those two things together beautifully and get me excited to cook! Cheers from a Greek-Canadian :)

Fantastic recipe. I made it and it was a BIG hit with our family and guests! Thank you! 👌

❤it Our favourite recipe.Thanks for for the genuine recipe.IA we will try to follow.

Wow, That was a Awesome explanation , Thanks Chef

Thank you very much dadash ! God bless !

Beautifully made! Super clean and delicious looking. Great job! Thank you 🌹👍

It looks beautiful and delicious 😋

Thank you so much! Great recipe

Thank you so much.🙏 Iran is a so great country. I really believe that this food is so delicious.🌹🙏

Another great recipe Thank You for sharing

Fabulous Presentation - thanks mate :-)

what a great chef...thanks for posting this great video

Very excited for this recipe. We are having guests over this weekend and im planning to make this.

Great stuff, would love to see more videos!!

Thanks chef , this looks amazing and thanks for the tips and tricks Happy new year God bless Greetings from Dallas Texas

Aide shoma mobarak. Will deffinetly try. Merci

My man this is some PRO level stuff, well done!

Thank you it looks very good 👌

MashAllah can’t wait to try it!!

I love your video. Thanks

your channel is a goldmine of great recipes and knowledge i'm happy i found this channel

Absolutely Marvelous 😊

Nice tip about the saffron….

Thank you for the step by step recipe. Will be trying this recipe soon 😊 new subscriber here!!

Alex - this is the most amazing recipe I have seen for the Joojeh Kabob! You solved a major problem - marinate with saffron first. Excellent recipes = thank you for sharing!

Thank you for explaining! I make the Kabob how you said that. How are you explain it was awesome thank you so much!

Thank you, I learned a lot!

Wow now that looks the business 👏 can't wait to try this in the summer. Greetings from England 👌👌👍👍

Very Awesome Chef Ben! I went out and bought those same kink of skewers and did the Kefta with them, now I'm exited to do this recipe!

Your instructions were fantastic and I have made your recipe a bunch of times and my family enjoyed it a lot. Thank you for you great recipe.

Looks amazing will try this soon.

Thank you so much for this lovely recipe explained really well..I was craving for joojeh kabab since long tried this recipe for the first time turnout really delicious...god bless you much love from Goa

Thank you for such a clear and working recipe! It happened so that i marinated it for two days as the guests couldnt make it the first day. God!! The chicken was divine. I also dropped two whole thighs and chicken wings and grilled them separately. Awesome!!! God bless you

I have been making joojeh kebabs for a couple of years now and this video gives me some great advanced tips that I will try. I typically serve with a potato tahdig and cucumber-mint yogurt. The combination of flavors is quite possibly my fav out of any dish that I can think of.

Amazing thank you for sharing. You are amazing🙏👍

Yes! Looks so good!

great video, very simple and delicious

It is indeed beautiful 🤩

As mentioned ....prepping this....big shout out thank you chef 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇦🇲👨🏻‍🍳from Bournemouth , The Solent England

We lived in Tehran for 3 yrs...this is one of my favourite kababs from Iran...I made it previously and going to make it for my guests ..now will follow your tips and tricks! Thank you

thank u so much for the knowledge 😉

Very nice ❤ looks delicious 😋

Love the recepie❤

This is gold !!!

Looks delicious 😋

Great recipe and tips. Ty!

I need to try this! Can’t wait to buy a grill and make this. Love me some joojeh 🤤

You sir just earned yourself another sub😄🇮🇷

Great chef lots of love from India🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳 🙏🙏🙏

This looks so amazing!!! Can you please also add your salad recipe it is beautiful ! Looks so refreshing and tasty!❤❤

You are Brilliant Ben!

Just followed this recipe today. It’s been 23 years since I’ve had it and it tasted exactly like I remember. Merci.

So delicious, yum!

Love it thanks

Perfect Joojeh. Love it

Thank you for sharing 🙏

Nice work 👍🏻 کارت درسته

Enjoyed your receipt, and appreciated your tip about not shredding the onions! My husband taught me to make joojeh kabob many years ago, lost him to heart attack in 2012, brings back sweet memories.

یا حق، به زودی بیننده های این کانال میلیونی میشوند،

Amazing man

Te salut din România sunteți buni in tot ce faceți 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Thank you 😊

Topperchef chef here, I loved your. Recipe

You got yourself another Follower 🔥 🔥

Amazing

Thank you chef for sharing this recipe.Inshallah it will be my lunch for tomorrow.

Very nice 👍 Good looking 👌

Flare ups tastes great too👍🏽 good food bro 🙂

Love it and your channel!

love the video

thank you for sharing ....

The burnt tips taste the best!

Thank you for this recipe and for the saffron rice (tahdeeg) recipe. Just tried it and I won't have to go to Moby Dick take out here in Virginia anymore.

I love kabob!!! Please also show us how to make the rice. Also one of my favorites.

Kheilee Mamnoon. You are the first genuine person from Iran to take us straight into your kitchen and into your pots, where have you been for the last 17 years of my life. Now I am able to cook, true, delicious Iranian dishes for my husband. All the Iranian youtubers out there can learn a thing or 2 from you. You are so unique in sharing all your tips and withholding absolutely nothing back from your recipes. Bless you! Greetings from a fellow South African...

ما شاء الله 👍🏼

Perfect! Thank You!

Good recipe 👍👍👍👍👍

Thank you for explaining your recipes in detail! I made this and it was a huge hit at my house!🙂 Could you please, please show us a video of my favorite Adas Polo? Thank you!

Thanks i made it it became nice

Good job.

Joojeh Kabob is the 🐐

Oh my gosh, my mouth is watering ....stop it!

bah bah ostad.