Tah-Chin - Persian Upside Down Layered Saffron Rice & Chicken

This is a divine dish of layered saffron rice and cooked chicken breasts bound together by seasoned yogurt and egg yolk mixture. We Iranians love our rice and love to layer it with different types of vegetables and meat. However, the tastiest and desired part of this dish is the bottom layer of the rice (tahdig).  ته چین Tah-chin is the tahdig lovers galore! Since the rice is served upside down and cuts like a cake, you can have your rice cake with a thick tah-dig and eat it too! "Tah" is a Persian/Farsi word for the bottom and "chin" is the root word for "chidan" which means putting things in order, arranging, and in this case, layering.

Tah-Chin - Upside Down Layered Saffron Rice & Chicken

Ingredients:
Serves 4-6

2 1/2 cups long-grain basmati rice, rinsed and soaked in water with 2 tablespoons of salt for a couple of hours. Drain.
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, yolks only
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 teaspoon ground saffron, dissolved in 4 tablespoons of hot water
1 large onion, peeled, and thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice  
Salt to taste
Butter or vegetable oil
Chicken stock  *optional


Garnish: barberries, slivered almonds, or pistachios 

Method:

1. Place the chicken breasts in a pot along with sliced onions, add turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a cup of water, bring to boil on medium-high heat, reduce heat, add a tablespoon of saffron water, cover, and cook for 45 minutes on medium-low heat. Set aside to cool slightly. Cut the chicken into small pieces or you can use two forks to shred the chicken. Add the lemon juice.
2. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat, add the rice and boil for about 8-10 minutes or until rice grains are soft on the ends and firm in the center. Drain and pour some cool water over it to wash away the starch and to separate the rice grains. This cool water rinse helps bring about more fluffy rice. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine yogurt, yolks, salt, and saffron. Mix well.
4. Add the rice and 1-2 tablespoons of oil to the yogurt mixture, blend well.
5. In a nonstick pan, add 3 tablespoons of oil and move the pan in a circular motion to cover the bottom uniformly. Ladle 2/3 of the rice into the pan, flatten with a wooden spoon, layer chicken pieces evenly and cover the entire surface. Pour the rest of the rice over the chicken pieces, flatten the top with the back of a large spoon while pressing down. Pour 2-3 tablespoons strained chicken stock, 2 tablespoons oil, or melted butter. 
6. Place the pot over medium heat. When you notice steam coming up, lower the heat, cover, and cook for 45-50 minutes. Since there's yogurt and egg yolk at the bottom of the pan it can easily burn, so adjust the heat setting of your stove accordingly.

To serve this dish let it cool for a few minutes, this way the crust comes off easier. Place a round serving platter that is larger than the diameter of the pot. Hold firmly while wearing mittens, you don't want to burn your fingers! Then gently turn the pot over. Garnish as you like.

Tah-chin goes well with plain yogurt, mast o khiar, salad Shirazi, or torshi.

Enjoy!