Zereshk Polo Morgh Recipe

Zereshk Polo Morgh is one of those dishes that one would try while exploring Persian cuisine. It’s a staple dish on almost every Persian restaurant menu. Tender chicken pieces cooked in tomato paste sauce served with saffron rice and sauteed barberries.

About This Recipe

Zereshk Polo ba Morgh is a chicken-based dish that is served with saffron and barberry rice.  The secret of preparing a delicious and mouthwatering Zereshk Polo is cooking chicken pieces with lots of sauteed onion and saffron. There are two methods for cooking chicken. You can first marinate chicken pieces with onion and spices and then cook them. But in another method that is used here, the chicken pieces are first sauteed in a little bit of oil and then cooked with onion and other ingredients that make its sauce.

Why You Will Love This Recipe?

• Easy to Make. Although many people think that making Zereshk Polo takes a lot of time and effort, I am here to say that this theory is not true. 😉 Following a few tips when cooking Zereshk Polo you will have a flavorful chicken dish for special occasions.
• Loaded with flavors: This food is loaded with saffron and spice mix flavors.
• Easy to make: You don’t need to have a lot of experience in Persian cuisine to cook a delicious Zereshk Polo  Morgh. By following the recipe step by step, you will definitely get amazing results and surprise everyone at the dinner table.

What You Need to Make Zereshk Polo Morgh

• Rice: To make Persian dishes, It is better to use high-quality Iranian rice or long-grain basmati rice.
• Chicken: You can use chicken thighs or breasts to make this dish depending on your preference.
• Dried barberries: You can typically find dried barberries at Middle Eastern grocery stores. Dried barberries with their unique tart and sweet taste are the key ingredients of this food, so do not ignore them at all.
• Tomato paste: Chicken pieces should be cooked in a thick sauce. This sauce is made with tomato paste.
• Yellow onion: We need onions for cooking chicken.
• Spices: The only spices you need to cook chicken are turmeric, salt, and black pepper.
• Bloomed saffron: Bloomed saffron adds a subtle hint of floral and sweet notes to chicken and saffron rice.
• Vegetable oil and butter: You can use butter or oil to saute barberries. You should also fry the chicken pieces with a little oil.

How to Make Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh (Step-By-Step)

• Rinse rice and barberries: Rinse the barberries with cold water to remove any dirt or debris. Drain, and set aside. Rinse rice until the water is clear. Soak rice in a large bowl of water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and stir to dissolve. Let it sit for 2 hours.
• Cook chicken pieces: Fry chicken pieces in hot oil until the skin is crispy and golden. Add chopped onion into the saucepan and fry for a couple of minutes until soft and golden. Then add tomato paste, salt, turmeric, and pepper and stir for a few minutes. Put the chicken pieces in a pot. Pour the tomato sauce on top add 2-3 cups of boiling water and cover the pot.
• Bring to a boil and skim off any foam on the surface. Allow the chicken pieces to cook with gentle heat for about 1 to 1.5 hours. Add 2 teaspoons of bloomed saffron 10 minutes before you turn off the heat. The sauce for this recipe should be thick. If the sauce is too thin, remove the chicken pieces from the pot and boil the sauce until thick.
• Cook rice: Drain the soaked rice. Add fresh water into a pot. For every cup of rice add two cups of water. Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the boiling water. Add drained rice to the pot of boiling water and give a quick stir. The rice is done after 8-10 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked by trying a grain.
• Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but slightly hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside. In a large pot heat 2 tablespoons of oil or butter. Arrange potato slices or Lavash naan. Pour the drained rice back into the pot. Place the pot on medium-high heat directly on the stovetop. Cover the pot and cook until the rice begins to steam. Then lower the heat and cook for one hour or until the crust forms.
• Saute barberries: Put 2 tablespoons of butter or vegetable oil in a small frying pan on medium heat. Add barberries to the pan and saute for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Serve: Take 5 or 6 tablespoons of cooked rice and mix it with 2 teaspoons of bloomed saffron and set aside. Serve Persian rice on a plate and top it with saffron rice and barberries. Put chicken pieces on a plate and serve it with rice. Serve the Zereshk Polo sauce in a small bowl.

Expert Tips

• Crush and soak saffron to release its flavor. Crush A pinch of saffron threads in a mortar and pestle. Soak the saffron threads in hot water for about 5 to 20 minutes.
• The sauce for this recipe should be thick. If the sauce is too thin, remove the chicken from the pot and boil the sauce until thick.
• Barberries should be sauteed over gentle heat because excessive heat can darken barberries and make them dry and bitter.
• To make your lunch or dinner dish more vibrant, after topping it with barberries, pour a tablespoon of slivered pistachio. Its green color, along with the redness of the barberries, will give a beautiful appearance to the Zereshk Polo.
• You can use chicken breasts or chicken thighs to make Zereshk Polo ba Morgh.

What To Serve With This Dish

The best drink you can serve with Zereshk Polo is a mug of Doogh (Persian yogurt drink). Also, you can serve this delicious dish with salad Shirazi, torshi(Persian pickles), and yogurt.

Zereshk Polo Morgh Toppings

Rice is a staple of the Persian kitchen. If you want to cook this recipe for a dinner party or family gathering we suggest you top the rice with saffron, barberries, slivered pistachios, almonds, and a little orange peel. The classic and simple topping for Zereshk polo is saffron rice and barberries.

Variations

• You can cook chicken with vegetables such as carrots, celery stalks, and bell peppers.
• In some recipes, tomato paste is not added to the chicken pieces and only turmeric and bloomed saffron are used. The color may be different, but the taste is great even with these changes.

FAQs

What Is Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh Made Of?

Zereshk polo is made up of tender chicken pieces cooked in tomato paste sauce served with saffron rice and sauteed barberries.

What Is the Translation of Zereshk Polo?

Zereshk Polo means “barberry rice” in Persian. Usually, Zereshk Polo is served with chicken pieces cooked in tomato paste sauce, which is called “Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh” which means barberry rice with chicken.

How to Store and Reheat Barberry Rice With Chicken?

You can keep cooked rice and chicken in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat the rice, transfer it to a pot. Add a splash of water to prevent the rice from drying out. Cover and put the pot on medium heat until it heats up and steams. To heat the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a skillet or a pot. If the sauce is too thick, add a few drops of water. Cover with a lid and cook on medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes or until it is heated through.

Did you like the Zereshk Polo recipe? Leave your comment below and If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photos #yummynotes 

Looking for More Persian Recipes?

• Kookoo Sabzi Recipe
• Kashke Bademjan
• Tahchin Recipe 
• Baghali Polo Recipe
• Sabzi Polo Recipe
• Mirza Ghasemi 

Zereshk Polo Morgh Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 120 Minutes 120 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.9/5

( 21 voted )

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Ingredients

• 4 chicken pieces(thighs or chicken breasts)
• 4 cups of rice
• 1 cup barberry(zereshk)
• 2 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 onion
• 4 teaspoon bloomed saffron
• 2 tablespoon Butter
• Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

Step 1

Rinse the barberries with cold water to remove any dirt or debris. Drain, and set aside.

Step 2

Rinse rice until the water is clear. Soak rice in a large bowl of water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and stir to dissolve. Let it sit for 2 hours.

Step 3

Fry chicken pieces in hot oil until the skin is crispy and golden.

Step 4

Add chopped onion into the saucepan and fry for a couple of minutes until soft and golden. Then add tomato paste, salt, turmeric and pepper and stir for a few minutes.

Step 5

Put the chicken pieces in a pot. Pour the tomato sauce on top add 2-3 cups of boiling water and cover the pot. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam on the surface. Allow the chicken pieces to cook with gentle heat for about 1 to 1.5 hours. Add 2 teaspoons of bloomed saffron 10 minutes before you turn off the heat. The sauce for this recipe should be thick. If the sauce is too thin, remove the chicken pieces from the pot and boil the sauce until thick.

Step 6

Drain the soaked rice. Add fresh water into a pot. For every cup of rice add two cups of water. Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the boiling water.

Step 7

Add drained rice to the pot of boiling water and give a quick stir. The rice is done after 8-10 minutes when it begins to rise to the top and the water comes back to a boil. Check the rice is cooked by trying a grain.

Step 8

Break one grain in half. Rice should be soft on the outside but slightly hard in the middle. Pour rice into the colander to drain; then set aside.

Step 9

In a large pot heat 2 tablespoons of oil or butter. Arrange potato slices or Lavash naan. Pour the drained rice back into the pot. Place the pot on medium-high heat directly on the stovetop. Cover the pot and cook until the rice begins to steam. Then lower the heat and cook for one hour or until the crust forms.

Step 10

Put 2 tablespoons of butter or vegetable oil in a small frying pan on medium heat. Add barberries to the pan and saute for 1 or 2 minutes.

Step 11

Take 5 or 6 tablespoons of cooked rice and mix it with 2 teaspoons of bloomed saffron and set aside. Serve Persian rice on a plate and top it with saffron rice and barberries. Put chicken pieces on a plate and serve it with rice. Serve the Zereshk Polo sauce in a small bowl.