This weekend with my mother, we spent a good few hours in the kitchen talking about the dishes we used to eat that were specific to the Caspian Sea region, and this was the first dish we prepared.
Our bodies and minds have a tremendous capacity to store nostalgic memories from childhood; after nearly 40 years, when I took the first bite of this dish, I instantly remembered the tantalizing, familiar flavor!
Home!
Morgh-e Torsh
Chicken in walnuts and herbs sauce
Ingredients
- 3 bunches parsley
- 3 bunches cilantro
- 1 cup fresh mint
- 2 bunches green onions
- 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup walnuts, finely ground
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon turmeric, ground
- 4 pieces chicken, breasts and thighs
- 2 cups water, more as needed
- 2 teaspoons salt, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper, ground
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice, more to taste
Instructions
- Wash and remove the thicker ends of the parsley, cilantro, and mint stems. Lay the herbs on a towel and pat dry. In a food processor, gradually add the herbs and green onions, pulsing until you have a very fine chop. Remove the herbs and set aside. Rinse and dry the food processor bowl, then finely grind the walnuts and set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, over medium heat add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute the onion for 10 minutes until the onions are light brown. Add 1 teaspoon of turmeric and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside in a large bowl.
- In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sear the chicken on both sides over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, add it to the same bowl as the onions, and set aside. I usually keep the fat from cooking the chicken in the pan, but feel free to remove part or all of it.
- In the same pan add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil (reduce if you kept the chicken fat in the pan) and all the finely chopped herbs and green onions to the pan.
- Over medium-high heat, while stirring constantly, saute the herbs for 15 minutes. The herbs will first have to get dried out before beginning to saute, so patience is a good virtue here!
- Once the greens have been sauteed adequately and begin to lightly brown, add the ground walnuts and mix for an additional minute. Pour in the water, salt, and pepper, place the chicken and onion mixture on top, and gently stir to mix all of the ingredients.
- Cover and bring to a gentle simmer before reducing the heat to low and cook for 60 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked and tender, add the lemon juice and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes to allow the rich flavors to blend. Turn off the heat, cover, and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with saffron basmati rice or Persian flatbread.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!