Joojeh Kabab
Chicken marinated overnight in saffron, lemon and grated onion, grilled over coals and basted with saffron butter as it cooks.
Photograph credit: Joojeh-kabab by Nasser-sadeghi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
What to Put on the Table With Joojeh Kabab
- Steamed basmati with tahdig
- Grilled tomatoes and sumac onions
- Doogh
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Kookoo Sabzi, Kookoo Sibzamini, Persian Lentil Rice.
Making Joojeh Kabab, Step by Step
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Grind the saffron with the sugar in a mortar to a fine powder, then steep it in the hot water for 20 minutes.
-
Mix the grated onion with its juice, the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and two-thirds of the saffron water.
-
Fold the chicken through, cover, and refrigerate overnight — 8 to 24 hours.
-
Take the chicken out an hour before cooking so it is not fridge cold.
-
Thread onto flat skewers, which stop the pieces spinning, leaving small gaps.
-
Mix the melted butter with the remaining saffron water for basting.
-
Grill over hot coals for 5 minutes on the first side, then turn and baste.
-
Cook another 5 to 6 minutes, turning and basting twice more, until charred at the edges and just cooked through.
-
Grill the tomatoes alongside until blistered and collapsing.
-
Rest 3 minutes under foil, then serve on flatbread (optional) with the tomatoes, sumac, grilled lemon and rice.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.
Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.
A Few Notes
Grate the onion, do not chop it. The juice is the point.
Grind saffron with sugar before steeping — far more colour.
Flat skewers. Round ones let the meat spin when you turn them.
Keeping What's Left
Marinate up to 24 hours. Cooked chicken keeps 3 days and is good cold in flatbread.
Joojeh Kabab: Your Questions Answered
How long does Joojeh Kabab take to make?
25 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking, plus 8 hours 20 minutes to 24 hours 20 minutes of chilling, so allow 9 hours 5 minutes to 25 hours 5 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 4.
Joojeh Kabab Nutrition Facts
No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.
Gluten-free when served without the flatbread.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
You Might Also Like
More Persian cooking and dinner ideas from Weekly Delight.
Kabab Koobideh
Wide, flat skewers of minced lamb and beef kneaded with grated onion, cooked over high heat until charred, served…
Zereshk Polo ba Morgh
Persian saffron chicken with steamed rice, topped with ruby-red barberries sautéed in butter and sugar and scattered…
Fesenjan
Chicken or duck braised in a sauce of ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses that cooks down over hours into…
Khoresh Gheimeh
A Persian stew of lamb, yellow split peas and dried limes in a saffron and tomato sauce, topped with crisp fried…
Persian Chicken
Chicken thighs braised for 45 minutes in a saffron, onion and tomato sauce with turmeric and a squeeze of lime.
Persian Meatballs
Large beef and rice meatballs simmered for 40 minutes in a tomato and saffron sauce with split peas and herbs.