In this saffron chicken recipe, bone-in chicken thighs are braised with carrots, potatoes and leeks in a creamy yet light sauce made with fragrant saffron and decadent mascarpone. White wine, thyme, and garlic add a further depth of flavor to this comforting dish, which is finished off with a zingy cilantro dressing.
As the weather begins to turn and you start craving comforting dishes to warm the cockles of your heart, this saffron chicken recipe is guaranteed to satisfy the search for a hug in food form.
The flavors of this dish are a celebration and fusion of the flavors from both the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The combination of mascarpone cheese, saffron, Dijon mustard, thyme, garlic, white wine and lemon make a flavorsome sauce that is surprisingly light yet deeply comforting.
The addition of the cilantro dressing, a simplified version of herbaceous Mediterranean condiments like Zhoug and Chermoula, adds a freshness to the dish with a citrus zing to elevate and complement the rest of the flavors in each mouthful.
Table of Contents
What is in Saffron Chicken?
Extraordinary flavors are created from a combination of the ingredients below!
- Extra virgin olive oil: Used for both cooking the chicken thighs and vegetables in this dish and also for the cilantro dressing. Use a good quality extra virgin variety to ensure maximum flavor and health benefits.
- READ MORE: Cooking with Olive Oil: Everything You Need to Know!
- TRY IT: Try our curated selection of the finest Mediterranean olive oils at our shop.
- Chicken thighs: Stay nicely juicy without drying out.
- White wine: Enhances the more nuanced flavors of the dish, particularly the vegetables.
- Vegetable or chicken broth: If you’re not using a low-sodium variety, remember to ease off the salt when seasoning your dish.
- Vegetables: Leeks, rainbow carrots, and potatoes provide an aromatic and hearty base.
- Garlic and thyme: These aromatics are used to enhance the flavor. You can either use fresh or dried thyme leaves.
- Mascarpone: An Italian soft cream cheese found in most supermarkets. It is typically made with pasteurized cow’s milk and has a silky quality.
- Dijon mustard: This peppery French mustard has a sharp and complex flavor compared to American-style yellow mustard, but a milder taste compared to the spicy English mustard. It also tends to be slightly brown in color instead of yellow.
- Saffron: Used to enhance the color and add floral and musky notes to the mascarpone sauce.
- LEARN MORE: What is Saffron? An Essential Guide
- TRY IT: Find Moroccan Saffron at our spice shop.
- Honey: Balances the lemon in the cilantro dressing.
- Fresh lemon: Adds acidity to both the mascarpone sauce and the cilantro dressing.
- Cilantro: Complements and balances the creamy saffron and mascarpone sauce.
- Green chili pepper adds a little heat to the cilantro dressing. Jalapeno chili works very well, but if you want it hotter and are braver than me, then go for a bird’s eye green chili.
- Salt and freshly ground pepper: Enhance the flavors.
Swaps and Substitutions
Here are the best substitutions for this saffron chicken recipe, depending on your diet, preferences, and what you have on-hand:
- Rainbow carrots: Standard orange carrots, halved and cut into 2-inch pieces.
- Baby potatoes and baby leeks: Use standard-size vegetables, chopped into smaller pieces.
- Chicken thighs: If you’d like to use another cut of chicken, adjust the cook times as they tend to cook more quickly than chicken thighs.
- White wine: Substitute with more broth if you avoid alcohol, and perhaps an extra squeeze of lemon to taste.
- Cilantro: Parsley.
- Green chili pepper: Leave it out if you don’t like spice entirely, or remove the seeds for a milder option.
- Mascarpone: You can swap for low-fat cream cheese, however it will be slightly tangy.
How to Make Creamy Saffron Chicken
To make this creamy saffron chicken recipe, start with an aromatic sauce for the chicken, then allow the chicken thighs to gently braise until juicy and flavorful. Here are the steps:
Get Ready
- Bloom the saffron. In a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind enough saffron to yield 1/4 teaspoon (or use 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron). Add to a small bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of water. Set aside to bloom.
- Get your veggies and aromatics prepped. Halve one pound of baby potatoes. Trim and halve 14 ounces rainbow carrots lengthwise. Mince 4 garlic cloves. Trim the dark green ends off of 5 baby leeks or 2 full-sized leeks. Slice the light green and white parts.
Make the Aromatic Braising Sauce
- Season and sear the chicken: Season 6 skin on, bone-in chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper. Place a large oven-safe casserole pan with a lid on medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil glistens, sear the chicken skin-side down, for approximately 5 minutes. The skin will release from the pan and become a little golden and crispy. Flip and sear on the other side for approximately 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate and set aside, leaving any oil in the pan.
- Cook the vegetables with the aromatics: Add the potatoes and carrots to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots have softened slightly, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme leaves and the garlic. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then add the leeks. Stir until they soften, approximately 2 minutes.
- Make the sauce: Stir in 1/2 cup white wine, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth, and the bloomed saffron water. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring occasionally. When the sauce boils, lower the heat to bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in 1/3 cup mascarpone, followed by the juice of 1/2 lemon. Taste the sauce and adjust lemon, salt, and pepper to your liking.
Braise the Saffron Chicken
- Add the chicken thighs and braise: Nestle the chicken thighs into the simmering sauce so they’re half submerged with the skin exposed. Place a lid on the dish and simmer for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Finish the chicken in the oven. After you have simmered the vegetables and chicken thighs for 45 minutes, remove the lid and put the casserole dish on the center shelf of the hot oven. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is crispy.
Dress and Serve
- While the chicken bakes, make the cilantro dressing: To a food processor, add 1 tightly packed cup of cilantro leaves and tender stems, 1/2 green chili pepper, 3 tablespoons olive oil, honey and lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse until you’ve made a finely chopped dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon and/or honey to taste.
- Finish and serve: When the chicken is cooked through and tender, remove the casserole pan from the oven and spoon the cilantro dressing over the chicken thighs. Serve.
What to Serve with Saffron Chicken
This dish is a complete meal as it has meat, vegetables, and potatoes cooked in a rich and creamy saffron sauce. However, should you want a little extra, serving this dish with a side like Pita Bread or Roasted Garlic Focaccia to mop up the extra sauce.
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Saffron Chicken
This dish is a complete meal as it has meat, vegetables and potatoes cooked in a rich and creamy saffron sauce. However, should you want a little extra, serving this dish with a side like Pita Bread or Roasted Garlic Focaccia to mop up the extra sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 pinch saffron threads (or 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron)
- 6 skin on, bone in chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound baby potatoes, halved
- 14 ounces rainbow carrots, trimmed halved lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 baby leeks (or 2 full-sized leeks), trimmed and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/3 cup mascarpone
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
For the Lemony Cilantro Dressing
- 1 tightly packed cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1/2 green chili pepper (such as a jalapeno)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Bloom the saffron. In a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind enough saffron to yield 1/4 teaspoon (or use 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron). Add to a small bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of water. Set aside to bloom.
- Season and sear the chicken: Season the chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper. Place a large oven-safe casserole pan with a lid on medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil glistens, sear the chicken skin-side down, for approximately 5 minutes. The skin will release from the pan and become a little golden and crispy. Flip and sear on the other side for approximately 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate and set aside, leaving any oil in the pan.
- Cook the vegetables with the aromatics: Add the potatoes and carrots to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots have softened slightly, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme and garlic, cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the leeks and stir into the mixture until they soften, approximately 2 minutes.
- Make the sauce: Add the white wine to the pan and stir into the vegetable mixture, then stir in the Dijon mustard. Add the broth and bloomed saffron water and bring the sauce to the boil, stirring occasionally. When the sauce boils, lower the heat to bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the mascarpone, followed by the lemon juice. Taste the sauce and adjust lemon, salt, and pepper to your liking.
- Add the chicken thighs and braise: Nestle the chicken thighs into the simmering sauce so they’re half submerged with the skin exposed. Place a lid on the dish and simmer for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Finish the chicken in the oven. After you have simmered the vegetables and chicken thighs for 45 minutes, remove the lid and put the casserole dish on the center shelf of the hot oven. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is crispy.
- Meanwhile, make the cilantro dressing: To a food processor, add the cilantro, green chili, olive oil, honey, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse until you’ve made a finely chopped dressing. Taste the dressing and adjust seasoning, adding more lemon and/or honey to taste.
- Finish and serve: When the chicken is cooked through and tender, remove the casserole pan from the oven and spoon the cilantro dressing over the chicken thighs. Serve.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil, honey, and saffron used in this recipe.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in a tight-lid glass container in the fridge for about 3 days. Reheat either in a microwave or in a medium oven (325F).
- The mascarpone adds richness. To increase the richness, use a 1/2 cup of mascarpone instead of 1/3 cup. To lighten the dish, swap in whole milk ricotta (though the texture will be grainy and not quite creamy) or try a 1/3 less fat cream cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 585.5kcalCarbohydrates: 22.3gProtein: 26.9gFat: 41.6gSaturated Fat: 11.6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 18.5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 154.1mgSodium: 200.5mgPotassium: 844mgFiber: 4.1gSugar: 4.6gVitamin A: 11352.5IUVitamin C: 19.3mgCalcium: 63.1mgIron: 1.9mg
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Exquisite Saffron from the high altitudes of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains
