Home Cooking = Mom's Persian Chicken with Yogurt, Raisins, and Almonds

Usually when I go home dinner it something we come up with at the last minute. Don't get me wrong, it's always tasty, but it's still some sort of creation we make with leftovers. When I went home for spring break though, my mother told me she was going to make my favorite Persian chicken dish - and boy did she deliver...

Why do I love this meal so much? Because it is a) easy b) inexpensive and c) full of flavor

We used to use chicken legs, but my mom has switched over the thighs. A little dark meat never hurt anyone; feel free to use chicken breasts if you want, but it probably won't be as juicy.

Fry off one sliced onion until it is golden.

Sear the thighs in a skillet with turmeric, pepper, salt, and cardamom, cinnamon, and a little cumin. Add the onions and set aside.

Fry the almonds and raisins. Set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt and 1 cup sour cream with a pinch of salt. Taste to be sure the sour cream flavor is more prevalent and add more accordingly if you have to. Set aside.

Place the chicken mixture in a Pyrex dish and pour in about a cup or a half cup of boiling water. This creates a juice for the chicken to cook in. Cover with the sour cream mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 300 for about 15-20 minutes. The chicken is essentially already cooked, so you just want to give everything time for the flavors to meld together. Take out and put the almonds and raisins over it, along with another fried onion - this time fry it till it is pretty dark.

Serve over rice!!!

*Note: this is the chicken component to a Persian dish called Shirin Polo, or sweet rice. It is traditionally served at happy occasions, like weddings. You serve the chicken alongside rice that you have covered with sweet carrots and more fried almonds (or pistachios) and raisins. To make the carrots, fry about 1 bag of pre-julienned carrots in grapeseed oil. Add salt and 1/4 tsp cardamom and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. And continue frying till the carrots have just a little crunch left. Put this over the rice, then add the nuts and raisins.

Childhood Chicken

The other day I was describing to a friend a chicken dish I frequently make. She asked me where I got the recipe and I said I just made it up based off the flavors of something my mom used to make when I was little. And since I've been feeling more than a little homesick, below you will find the recipe to my own version of my mom's chicken because, understandably, I was too young at the time to carefully observe what she put in it. It's funny how certain smells and tastes can remind you so distinctly of a specific time in your life. This meal reminds of a very good one, so when I'm lonely I make it and think of the people who I care about many, many miles away.

What You Need:

2 pounds chicken, defrosted and cut into small cubes

4 Tbs cream cheese

crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic powder

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/3 cup cooking sherry

3-5 Tbs milk, cream, or half and half

What You Do:

Saute the onion and garlic in a skillet until golden brown

Add the spices

Add the chicken and saute until the chicken is almost cooked through

Add the sherry and stir

Add the cream cheese and stir to combine

Add milk/cream as needed according to how dry the mixture is

You can finish the dish off with chopped chives if you'd like

Serve With:

You can serve this meal over rice or with warm Italian bread...

... but perhaps a lovelier treatment (and a more impressive one) would be to package it into rounds of puff pastry - forming a pocket. Brush the tops with egg wash and a little salt and bake according to the directions on the puff pastry package. This makes for a gorgeous entertaining meal. You can form the pockets into any shape you want - I like triangles because I think they look super classy. Don't forget to cut air holes into the top so they don't burst from the steam in the oven!