Middle Eastern & North African · Lunch · Dinner
Joojeh Kabab (Persian Saffron-Lemon Chicken Kebab)
جوجه کباب
Tender chunks of chicken soaked in a golden saffron, lemon and onion marinade, then grilled until lightly charred and juicy. Served with blistered tomatoes, it is a bright, high-protein Persian favourite.
- Prep
- 140 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 155 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 17% · Fat 26% · Protein 57%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 700 g (about 3 breasts)boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 tsp, loosely packedsaffron threads
- 2 tbsp30 ghot water
- 1 large150 gonion, grated
- 4 tbsp (about 2 lemons)60 gfresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup120 gplain low-fat yogurt
- 1 tbsp14 golive oil
- 1 tsp6 gsalt
- 1/2 tspground black pepper
- 4 medium480 gtomatoes
- 1 tbsp14 gbutter, melted (optional)
- 1 medium60 glemon, cut into wedges
Steps
- 1
Grind the saffron threads to a powder with a pinch of the salt using a mortar and pestle.
- 2
Stir the saffron into the hot water and leave to steep for 10 minutes.
- 3
Cut the chicken into 4 cm (1.5 in) cubes.
- 4
Grate the onion, then squeeze it through a sieve and keep only the juice.
- 5
In a large bowl, mix the onion juice, lemon juice, yogurt, olive oil, remaining salt, black pepper and three quarters of the saffron water.
- 6
Add the chicken, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- 7
If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes while the chicken marinates.
- 8
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high.
- 9
Thread the chicken onto skewers, leaving small gaps between pieces; thread the whole tomatoes onto separate skewers.
- 10
Mix the remaining saffron water with the melted butter, if using, for basting.
- 11
Grill the chicken for 12–15 minutes, turning every few minutes and brushing with the saffron baste, until charred in spots and cooked through to 74 °C / 165 °F inside.
- 12
Grill the tomatoes alongside for 8–10 minutes until the skins blister and soften.
- 13
Rest the kebabs for 3 minutes, then serve with the tomatoes and lemon wedges.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breast for juicier kebabs that are more forgiving on the grill.
- For a dairy-free version, replace the yogurt with an extra tablespoon of olive oil and skip the butter in the baste, using olive oil instead.
- If saffron is hard to find or too pricey, use 1/2 tsp ground turmeric for colour, though the flavour will be different.
- Swap the grill for a hot oven broiler, turning the skewers every few minutes until the chicken reaches 74 °C / 165 °F.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover chicken and tomatoes in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. The grilled tomatoes go soft and watery, so they are best eaten fresh, and the cooked chicken can be frozen for up to 2 to 3 months if needed.
Make ahead
Make the saffron water and marinade and marinate the chicken in the fridge up to 24 hours ahead, but no longer, as the lemon can make it mushy. You can also cube the chicken and thread the skewers a few hours before grilling and keep them covered in the fridge.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Milk
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (405 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 305 kcal | 75 kcal |
| Protein | 42.7 g | 10.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 12.9 g | 3.2 g |
| of which sugars | 7.6 g | 1.9 g |
| Fiber | 2.6 g | 0.6 g |
| Fat | 8.9 g | 2.2 g |
| of which saturated | 1.8 g | 0.4 g |
| Sodium | 690 mg | 170 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
