Joojeh Kabab is a deliciously tender Persian chicken kabob that has a unique saffron flavour, grilled over charcoal and served with bread, grilled tomatoes and rice. It’s easy to make without a grill as well, and makes for a quick and easy recipe! Let’s walk through how to make it.

Chicken skewers, rice and vegetables served on a white ceramic platter with herbs sprinkled over, and purple glasses in the background.

Want to Save This Recipe?

Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

Save Post

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Hungry Paprikas.

It’s no secret that Persian cuisine incorporates a lot of saffron, commonly used in rice and marinades. Saffron is what gives Joojeh Kabab its vibrant yellow colour and unique saffron flavour. This grilled chicken is perfect if you want to use up your saffron in a good way! I often make it as a welcome change from the usual chicken shish tawook.

But if you’re not up to grilling, I also make an easy one pot saffron braised chicken which has a similar flavour profile.

Joojeh is beautiful served over saffron rice, alongside grilled tomatoes and sumac onions. Or it can also be served with lavash bread as a wrap.

How to Make Joojeh Kabab

Grab the simple ingredients, alongside the saffron.

Ingredients for Joojeh Kabab prepared in white ceramic bowls, including chicken, saffron, onion, lemon juice, yogurt and salt and pepper.

How to bloom Saffron

Saffron is never used in recipes without first blooming it. You can bloom saffron in one of two ways, either with hot water or ice water.

Both methods start by grinding the saffron threads into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. Then, follow either one of the below methods:

  1. Hot water blooming: Place the saffron powder into a bowl, and pour a few tablespoons of hot water. Make sure the water is first boiled, then allowed to cool for a few minutes before using to avoid shocking the saffron. Pour enough to submerge the powder and set aside for 15 minutes to bloom.
  2. Ice water blooming: Place the saffron powder into a bowl, and place a large ice cube (or two) on top. Set aside and allow the ice to slowly melt and bloom the saffron. Its ready to use when its fully liquified.

I am not sure that one method is better than the other, but I often use the hot water method if I need it bloomed quickly.

First step to grind saffron strand in mortar and pestle, and blooming saffron in white ceramic bowl.

Prepare the onions by grating or slicing it very thinly. Grating imparts more flavour as it breaks down the onion more, but sometimes I get lazy and just slice. That works too.

Steps to marinate chicken skewers in yogurt and saffron based marinate.

Mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, bloomed saffron, onions, and salt and pepper to make the marinade. Marinate the chicken overnight for best results, but a few hours in the fridge does wonders too.

Skewer the chicken onto metal skewers and grill on medium heat for about 5-6 minutes on each side. Ensure chicken is white and cooked through on the inside, and golden on the outside.

What to Serve with Joojeh Kabab

I love serving Joojeh with lavash bread or pita bread, along with grilled tomatoes and sliced onions smothered in sumac. Another option is to serve it with yellow rice. If I was serving rice, I’d also make a quick Jajik; so good with it!

Chicken skewers, rice and vegetables served on a white ceramic platter with herbs sprinkled over, and purple glasses in the background.

Other Grilled Recipes You Will Love

Grilled chicken skewers served on a plate

Shish Tawook | Grilled Chicken Skewers
5 from 22 ratings
grilled Chicken kofta with grill marks on them, served on a white plate with sliced red onions, cherry tomatoes and parsley.

20-Minute Chicken Kofta (Grilled or Pan-fried)
5 from 8 ratings
Kafta skewers served on pita bread with onions and parsley

Juicy Beef Kafta Kabobs (Skewers or Patties)
4.97 from 33 ratings
A platter of Iraqi Kabab kebabs on sliced red onions, surrounded by grilled tomatoes, onions, fresh parsley, and pieces of flatbread. The dish is beautifully arranged on a white oval plate.

Authentic Iraqi Kabab Recipe (BBQ)
5 from 1 rating

If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!

Chicken skewers, rice and vegetables served on a white ceramic platter with herbs sprinkled over, and purple glasses in the background.
5 from 10 ratings

Marinated Chicken Joojeh Kabab (Grill or Bake)

Yield: 5
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
These delicious Persian chicken kabobs are marinated overnight in a juicy yogurt and saffron marinade to yield the most succulent and uniquely flavoured grilled chicken!
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 2 pounds chicken thighs, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon saffron strands, use 1/2 teaspoon if you don't have too much
  • 1.5 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced or grated
  • 1 cup full fat plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice, approx. juice of half a lemon

Instructions
 

  • Start by cutting the chicken into 1.5 inch cubes for skewering.
  • Peel and thinly slice or grate the onions.
  • In a mortar and pestle, grind the saffron until it forms a powder, then bloom it by adding 2 tablespoons of hot water to it and allowing it to sit for 5 minutes.
  • Mix together the yogurt, onions, saffron, salt, pepper and lemon juice until well combined.
  • Marinate the chicken in the yogurt mixture, preferably in an air tight container overnight for optimal flavour.
  • Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before grilling.
  • Skewer the chicken if you are grilling, preferably on metal skewers. You can also use wood skewers, but make sure to soak them in water for 1 hour before using.
  • Grill the chicken on an outdoor grill, a stove top skillet or grill pan on medium heat for about 5-6 mins on each side. Ensure chicken is white and cooked through on the inside, and golden on the outside.
  • You can also bake in the oven for 20-25 mins at 400F, turning half way.
  • Serve with bread, and if you like some grilled onions, grilled tomatoes, sumac onions and salad on the side.

Notes

  • If you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can grill indoors on a grill pan or use the oven baked method (details in the recipe card)
  • Saffron is quite expensive, but its what makes this recipe unique. If you don’t have saffron, I suggest you check out this Shish Tawook recipe.
  • Make sure to bloom your saffron correctly before using it. That means grinding the strands and not using them whole. Find details on how to bloom in the blog post.
  • Marinate overnight for optimal flavour.
Calories: 436kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 184mg, Sodium: 861mg, Potassium: 484mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 192IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!