Braised Lemon-Saffron Chicken and Potatoes

By Yasmin Fahr

Published April 15, 2021

Braised Lemon-Saffron Chicken and Potatoes
Beatriz Da Costa for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
1¾ hours
Rating
4(1,398)
Comments
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In this comforting braise, bone-in chicken and potatoes slowly cook in a lively lemon-saffron bath until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender and the potatoes are soft and full of flavor. Most of the work in this one-pot dinner happens in the oven, so you can rest or multitask as it cooks. Serve it with rice and spoon the pan juices over top, or with toasted pita to soak up the rich, lemony broth. The whole peppercorns taste delicious and soften in both texture and flavor during the cooking process, but if they are too strong for you, leave them out or crack them before cooking. Leftovers are even better the next day, on top of a salad or tucked into a sandwich.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1heaping teaspoon saffron threads
  • 2tablespoons hot (not boiling) water
  • 3pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts, preferably thighs and drumsticks
  • ½pound yellow or red baby potatoes
  • 3tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • ¾cup fresh lemon juice (from 4 to 6 lemons)
  • ½teaspoon whole black peppercorns (optional)
  • Cooked rice or toasted pita, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

781 calories; 44 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 22 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 64 grams protein; 1196 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

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a mortar and pestle (or the bottom of a spoon and a bowl), grind the saffron threads into a powder as best you can. Add the 2 tablespoons hot water and stir to combine. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Place the chicken in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan or baking dish. Cut large potatoes into 1-inch pieces and add to the pan. Drizzle the chicken and potatoes with the oil, then season well with salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Add the lemon juice to the saffron water, mix to combine, then pour over the chicken and potatoes, stirring to coat. Arrange the chicken skin-side down. Sprinkle evenly with the whole black peppercorns, if using, then cover tightly with foil. (It’s OK if everything is close together.)

  4. Step 4

    Cook until the meat is tender and easily pulled from the bone, and the potatoes are soft, about 1½ hours. During the last 15 minutes, remove the foil, flip the chicken, stir the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes more, uncovered, to reduce some of the liquid.

  5. Step 5

    Season with black pepper and serve with rice or pita to soak up the lemony juices.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,398 user ratings
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Comments

Chris

I zest citrus pretty much every time I use it, figuring that there is no sense leaving flavor on the rind. Zest the lemons in this dish and toss it in the lemon juice and you will get a mountain of citrus flavor. The potatoes become something special with this sauce.

Nicole M

Do you have a Trader Joes near you? They have saffron at a reasonable price. I've used it many times and it's perfectly good. One tiny jar would probably be the equivalent of a heaping tsp since the threads are so fluffy :)

Keith

Braising is the action of cooking a food only partially submerged in liquid. The aim is to avoid overexposing the food to high heat since the liquid will keep the food temperature near boiling point (water based liquids that remain liquid in a hot environment at normal pressure do not exceed 212 deg.). Pre-browning is inducing the Maillard reaction - adding extra flavor, but not absolutely required to braise something.

cc

Simple recipe, texture of potatoes and chicken came out pretty well cooking as directed. I added some garlic. I feel like the flavor is a little strange -- calling for some other secondary savory spice.

Bijan

I diced a whole onion and sautéed it with three cloves of garlic and lemon zest in olive oil. After the onions became transparent I turned off the head and added 1/2 tsp of ground saffron. Then I poured that over the chicken/potato mix in the baking pan. Came out amazing. I think rice is the way to go with this dish over the pita.

BB

I’ve made this every 2 weeks for a long while now and my whole family looooves this dish! 1/4 cup lemon juice is plenty plus zest. Add plenty of smashed whole garlic cloves. The cooking vessel makes a difference- I use 4 thighs plus chicken legs in a ceramic baking dish with a fitted lid, this results in juicy chicken with sauce- one of my all-time favorite NYT recipes :)

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