Saffron Chicken with Parsley and Lemon
If you like the distinctive flavor of saffron, this Saffron Chicken with Parsley and Lemon is a traditional way to use it, and this delicious chicken is a classic dish!
PIN Saffron Chicken with Parsley and Lemon to make it later!
Have you ever cooked with saffron? It’s widely acknowledged to be the most expensive spice in the world, but you only need a tiny pinch to add delicious flavor to a dish like Paella, Saffron Rice, and this delicious Saffron Chicken which I first tasted when my Iranian friend Massoud made it for me.
When I made this recipe for the blog in 2005 I consulted Mark Bittman’s The Best Recipes in the World and tried to remember how Massoud had done it. For this updated version I did a little more online research and ended up revising my original instructions just a bit. Saffron is maybe an acquired taste, but people crave it all over the middle east, and I thought it was delicious in this Saffron Chicken.
If you are interested in another good recipe with saffron, you may enjoy trying Salmon Foil Packets with Tomatoes and Olives.
What Ingredients Do You Need For This Recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- onion
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- butter
- Saffron (affiliate link)
- chicken stock, (I use my homemade chicken stock)
- lemon juice
- fresh parsley
How to Make Saffron Chicken with Parsley and Lemon:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe.)
- Massoud and Mark Bittman would both probably make this with chicken thighs, but I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and they worked great. Take your choice on that! I cut the breasts on the diagonal to make small cutlets.
- Heat 1 T olive oil and a tiny bit of butter in a heavy pan and brown the chicken pieces quickly using medium-high heat. Take care not to overcook the chicken in this step.
- Remove chicken to a plate, add the slivered onions and cook over low heat until the onions are nicely browned, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the onions to a second plate.
- Heat the chicken stock in the microwave until it’s very warm, then stir in the saffron.
- Put the chicken back into the pan, arrange the onions over the chicken, and pour the saffron-infused chicken stock over.
- Cover the pan and cook over a very low simmer for about 30 minutes without turning the chicken.
- After 30 minutes, add the lemon juice and parsley, and a bit of water if needed and simmer 10-15 minutes more. Serve hot, over rice if desired.
More Tasty Chicken Recipes:
- Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Chicken Kabobs with Asian Marinade
- Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Capers
- Rosemary Mustard Grilled Chicken
Saffron Chicken with Parsley and Lemon
If you like the distinctive flavor of saffron, this Saffron Chicken with Parsley and Lemon is a traditional way to use it.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or use 4 -5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer)
- 1 onion, cut in lengthwise slivers
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 T butter (or more if you prefer)
- pinch saffron (about 1/4 tsp. or less)
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken breasts and cut in 1/2 strips on the diagonal to make small cutlets.
- Peel the onions and cut into lengthwise slivers and chop parsley.
- Use a heavy frying pan which is not too large and has a tight-fitting lid. Heat the olive oil and butter, then brown the chicken quickly over medium-high heat. (Don’t let it cook long enough that the outside starts to get hard. The chicken does not need to be cooked through.)
- Remove chicken to a plate, add onion, and brown over very low heat until edges of onion pieces are turning golden, about 12-15 minutes. Remove browned onions to another plate.
- Add chicken back to pan, and cover with onions.
- Heat chicken stock, add saffron and stir to dissolve, then pour over chicken and onions.
- Simmer on very low heat with pan covered 30-45 minutes.
- Add chopped parsley, lemon juice, and a tiny bit of additional water if needed, and simmer 15 minutes more. Serve hot, over rice if desired.
Notes
Recipe from my friend Massoud and The Best Recipes in the World.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 367Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 269mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 40g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Saffron Chicken with Parsley and Lemon made with boneless-skinless chicken breasts would be approved for any phase of the South Beach diet, and it would also work for other low-carb eating plans. South Beach would prefer limited amounts of butter, but you could use more butter if you’re following a low-carb/high-fat eating plan.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Chicken Recipes to find more recipes like this one.Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
40 Comments on “Saffron Chicken with Parsley and Lemon”
I made this today using skinless, boneless thighs (and doubled the recipe), and it was delicious. My picky husband liked it, too, so it’s a definite keeper. Thanks!
So glad to hear that; glad you liked it!
It’s a little orange button that says YUM in the row of buttons at the top of the post. Their system is not always perfect, but it works most of the time.
What a great recipe and I'll bet it tastes even better the next day!
Thanks Elle, hope you enjoy it!
Kalyn I made this Saffron Chicken this past weekend and it was a hit with everyone! Tasted delicious… although I have to admit the finished product looked more like your photo from 2005 than it did your current one, ha ha! I'll have to work on my presentation 🙂
Rennie, so glad you enjoyed it. Making the food look good is always a challenge!
This is a great recipe! The dish is full of flavor. I used an organic Moroccan saffron I purchased from Amazon, which enhanced the flavor of the dish. If you are interested, you can check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JX1QZRO.
Thanks! Keep these great recipes coming!
This was amazing. I left out the butter and also the lemon (can't have fruit on this diet- not even lemon juice).
Muffin, thanks and fun hearing from someone from the middle east. I love all the food from ther! I'd say in the U.S. chicken breasts weigh about 4-5 oz. (There's a converter in the left sidebar if you need to convert that to grams.)
Hi, I’m not sure where you buy 4-5oz chicken breast. I buy family packs and individually weigh and vacuum seal each breast. They range from 13 – 17 oz. This is typical for any grocery store I go to in Texas. With that said, I guess I would only need one breast for this recipe to get the proportions right?
You are reading the recipe wrong! I e-mailed you to clarify in case you are trying to make it right now. Here is the list of ingredients, copied from the recipe:
INGREDIENTS
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or use 4 -5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer)
1 onion, cut in lengthwise slivers
1 T olive oil
1 T butter (or more if you prefer)
pinch saffron (about 1/4 tsp. or less)
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Love your blog, one of my favourites!
I have a question, more or less how many grams of chicken would you say is required as the size of chicken breasts vary a lot where I live (in the Middle East)…
Thanks!
Atria, very fun seeing your version and your lovely photos!
Kalyn, thank you for your recipie, I have made my own version on my blog (its in Polish but you can use google translator:)
http://ziolowyzakatek.blogspot.com/2011/04/kurczak-szafranowy-z-estragonem-cytryna.html
I decide to spice it up a little so I added a pink peper, cardamon,chilli flakes and bunch of estragon. Thanks for inspiration!
Atria C.
Lauren, so glad you enjoyed it!
I'm a huge fan of saffron and cook with it all the time. Loved this dish, it was really really flavorful and simple. Thanks for posting!
I chose South Beach to manage my weight because I didn't want to have to count carbs, calories, or points, so if you need the nutritional information you will have to calculate it yourself.
Hi! I've just started back on low carb and this recipe looks delish 🙂 I was just wondering, did I miss where the nutrition info was listed? I plan our meals by week and like to match up carb counts for the day. Thanks!
Jeanette, I've never made paella, but I sure do like it!
Thanks CJ! It's fun to see the improvement in my photos, but I still have a lot to learn!