Recipe: Make The Persian Chicken That Inspired Samin Nosrat’s Famous Buttermilk Version

There’s roast chicken – and then there’s the Samin Nosrat kind. The chef and James Beard-winning author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat might be best known for her buttermilk-marinated version of the classic dinner. The famous recipe proves you don’t need fancy ingredients to make a comforting meal – just time, care, and the right amount of salt. (Nosrat’s kitchen uses more than you might expect, but trust her process.)

Now, in her latest book, Good Things, Nosrat revisits the roast chicken that started it all. It’s a new take on the Persian joojeh kabob, one of her childhood favourites. “Joojeh kabob was so deeply ingrained into my food memories that years later it was a primary source of inspiration when I developed my recipe for buttermilk-brined roast chicken,” Nosrat writes.

Despite that recipe's undeniable success, Nosrat reckons this is the “best roast chicken” she’s eaten yet. Brined overnight in a buttermilk or yoghurt marinade with saffron, onions, lime, garlic, and tomato puree, the bird emerges with a perfect balance of acidity, sweetness, and umami. It’s another roast chicken for the ages – one that every friend, dog and neighbour will flock to your place for.

Joojeh kabob roast chicken by Samin Nosrat

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus up to 24 hours marinating
Cooking time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (1.6kg to 1.8kg)
Kosher salt
½ tsp saffron threads, ground and bloomed
4 tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
1 tbsp tomato puree
365g natural yogurt or buttermilk
1 brown onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Method

The day before you plan to cook, spatchcock the chicken and generously season it with salt on both sides. Let the chicken sit at room temperature while you prepare the marinade.

In an extra-large zip-lock plastic bag, whisk together the bloomed saffron, lime juice and tomato puree until evenly combined. Add 2 tablespoons (18g) kosher salt and the yogurt, onion, garlic, and pepper. Add the chicken, seal the bag, and squish the yogurt all over the chicken. Place it on a rimmed plate and refrigerate. If you’re so inclined, over the next 24 hours you can turn the bag so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but it’s not essential.

An hour before cooking, remove the chicken from the yogurt and scrape off any aromatics. Bring the chicken to room temperature.

Adjust an oven rack to the centre position and preheat to 220°C.

Arrange the chicken, breast-side up, on a wire rack set over a baking tray (line the tray with parchment paper to make cleaning up easier). Cook until the chicken is a dark golden brown and the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh, about 45 minutes. Loosely cover the chicken with a piece of foil for the last 10 minutes if the skin is getting too dark.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving with crispy rice, garlic and herb labneh, and Shirazi salad.

This is an edited extract of Good Things by Samin Nosrat, photography by Aya Brackett. Published by Penguin Random House (RRP $65.00).

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