Chicken in yogurt and citrus and eggplant dip

Growing up on Guam, I was not exposed to that much food from outside our local food culture, so when I was first exposed to Persian food, I was delighted. It was quite easy to find Persian food while I lived in L.A, and I often had it out because, well, I 've never made it at home. Here is my recipe  for chicken marinated in yogurt, saffron, and citrus, eggplant dip, as well as saffron rice to accompany the dish. 

So first let's get your chicken marinating. 

Chicken breast

1 orange

1 lime

1/4 Onion

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup Yogurt

Pinch of saffron. 

Get your chicken breast. Remove zest from the orange and lime. Add to chicken. Squeeze all the fresh juice onto chicken. Add onion, garlic, yogurt, and saffron. Let chicken marinate while preparing rice and eggplant dip. 

The rice.

1.5 cup Basmati rice

2 cups water 

1/4 ts Saffron

1/4 cup yogurt 

First you need saffron. Smash it. Put it in about 2 tablespoons of water. Put it aside.  

Rinse rice a few times, then cook the rice in a lot of water, about 1 inch of water on top of the rice. Cook for 10 minutes on Low boil. Get your colander.  Drain the water out (like you do for pasta). 

Take about 2 tablespoons of rice out and mix with that saffron water you created. 

Oil your pot, and cover the bottom with yogurt. Add the white rice back in the pot. The yogurt will add flavor and help create a crusty layer of rice. Add the saffron rice on top. Stick holes in your rice to help rice steam. 

Stick towel on the top, covered and let the rice steamed. Then finished it off at a higher temp for a few minutes, to let the crust form. It's done. To serve, flip upside down onto a plate. 

Eggplant dip

1 large eggplant

1 onion

1 Clovegarlic

1/4 cup yogurt

1 tbsp fresh mint

 

Eggplant. I like to partially peel mine. Because I like skin, but not too much. Cut into 1/4" slices. Oil a sheet pan. Sprinkle salt and drizzle oil on your eggplant. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, cut onions into 1/4" cubes and add to a pot that had about 1 tbs olive oil heating up it. Cook on low heat. Allie onions to Carmelize slowly, for about 15 minutes. 

Now your eggplant should be done. It should be soft now, a little see through, and a little brown. 

So add minced garlic to your pot. Throw in your eggplant. Smash it like crazy in your pot. Add 1/4 cup yogurt. Finish up with the minced mint. 

So now let's grill the chicken. Pull your chicken out. I have a griddle pan so I use that to grill my chicken, stove top. Great, if you actually have a grill. Remove chicken from marinade and pay dry with a towel.  That's how you get good grill marks. :) Drizzle with oil. Season with salt, pepper,And grill! Do not forget to grill a fresh whole tomato too. That is it is usually served.