Yogurt-Marinated Fried Chicken With Saffron and Paprika
Updated July 31, 2020
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½teaspoon saffron
- 2cups plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1tablespoon chopped garlic
- 2½pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2¼cups flour
- 2½teaspoons paprika
- 1tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon dried mint
- 1tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon salt, more for sprinkling
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- Oil for frying
- 1cup walnut pieces
- 1lemon, cut into wedges
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
799 calories; 58 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 30 grams monounsaturated fat; 20 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 36 grams protein; 712 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a small bowl, combine saffron with 1 tablespoon water and let soak 10 minutes. Place in food processor with yogurt and garlic and purée until smooth and yellow. Place chicken in glass or ceramic bowl; pour yogurt mixture on top, turn to coat; cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, combine flour, paprika, mint, salt and pepper. Heat a generous half-inch oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Drop in a bit of bread to test temperature; oil should bubble vigorously. Working in batches to avoid crowding, dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture, then fry until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes a side. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Step 3
Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately, topped with walnuts and lemon wedges.
Private Notes
Comments
Persia, now Iran, has always been famous for pistachios - if you add finely chopped pistachios to the flour then fry up it becomes a WOW dish!
My Persian mom makes this, however there is no paprika in Persian cooking. I suggest onion in the yogurt and most importantly to get rid of the fat, you have to kabob this. I have never seen a fried recepie. in Farsi its called Joojeh Kebab.
My husband and I LOVED this recipe. Too much, as we couldn't stop eating it. ha! ha! I subbed equal amt of turmeric for the saffron (what I had), added a tsp of table salt to the yogurt and allowed the chicken to marinate overnight (in a ziploc bag set in a container - less messy). Tender and flavorful. A trick to keep the "breading" from falling off during frying is give chicken a second coat in the flour and allow it to sit for 30 mins (so breading sets up) before frying.
This is a winner. Used panko instead of flour and baked thighs for 30 mins at 350 instead of frying. Will definitely make again.
One of my favorite chicken recipes, when I have the time to make it happen! If the idea of involving a food processor turns you off, just use a small grater to grate the garlic into the yogurt and hand mix everything. Also, I recently got locally grown free range chx thighs and whomever boned them was clearly new at it. No worries, irregular pieces fry up fine. Also great as cold fried chx the next day for whatever -- cut up in a salad, in a sandwich, etc.
We were not particularly impressed with this recipe. It may be that a different herb mix or substituting Pablo for the flour would improve it, but with so many chicken recipes out there, it’s easier just to move on.