Morgh Stew Recipe

Morgh stew (Khoresht Morg, Persian Saffron chicken,خورش مرغ ) is the most typical Persian stew that you can find it on every Persian table if you are a guest. Usually, the first option that Iranians refer to as the main dish while hosting a dinner or lunch party is serving a dish of Chelow and along With Morgh. You may have heard the term Chelow Morgh that refers to this food. It is not exactly clear when this food was first originated. If you ask the oldest Iranian, he would answer, it was there when I was born, and when my father was born and when his parents were born and so on.

We can claim this is the most easily found food in Iran. You can find it in almost every restaurant in all the cities. It is an official stew that they serve in funerals and wedding ceremonies.

Different types of Morgh Stew:

Indeed, there is only one type for cooking saffron chicken. You make a sauce with saffron, stock, and tomato paste and then you marinate the cooked chicken inside it. But this stew usually has some side garnishes that make the difference. The most typical and handful garnish is fried potatoes. All you have to do is to fry some sliced potatoes like french fries and add them to the stew. To name other side ingredients, we can mention carrots, green beans, and dried plums. They combine many other components in different regions, for example, adding some fruits such as pumpkins is typical in Qazvin. Or, in Rasht, they add quince as a side garnish.

Important Nutrition Facts of Morgh Stew:

Khoresht Morgh has about 304 kcal per 100gr. Chelow Morgh has even more calories since the rice is added. Chicken is an excellent source of protein; then there is 20 gr of it per 100 gr in this stew. It also contains 67 gr water, which is a notable amount and contains 59 mg of vitamin B4. Morgh Stew includes all vitamins, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and all varieties of vitamin B. It includes an incredible amount of 920 mg sodium and 400 gr potassium. Also, it contains most of the essential minerals for the body.

Vegetarian tips:

Unfortunately, this is one of the scarce Persian recipes that doesn’t have a Vegetarian type. The main ingredient of this food is chicken that its irreplaceable with e vegetarian source. You should never mind eating Khoresh e Morgh if you are a vegetarian or a vegan. But since the side garnishes are vegetables mostly, you can enjoy them if this food is served at a party.

Serving style of Morgh Stew:

Iranians usually serve this food along with a dish of Chelo as the main course for dinner or lunch. Typically, a cup of Soup e Jou is served before this food, especially in restaurants. A green Salad such as lettuce salad is the best choice as a side dish with this food. Other side dishes you can see in Iran next to Chelow Morgh are freshly sliced onions, Sabzi Khordan, and sometimes Torshi. In the north of Iran, they serve Zeytoon Parvardeh (stuffed olives) next to this stew, too. You can serve any drink with it. Cola or any other soda drink is the most popular choice of beverage next to Morgh Stew in Iran. You can also serve it with Doogh (Persian yogurt drink).

What are the ingredients of Morgh Stew?

The main ingredient is chicken. Sometimes it is an entire chicken. But sometimes Iranian chefs cook thighs and breasts of the chicken meat. You would be asked whether you want Cholo Morgh with thigh meat or with breast meat. Other essential ingredients are saffron, tomato paste, and the stock of cooked chicken. We use all of them for making the sauce.

Moreover, some ingredients are needed as garnishes, such as potato and green beans. You can add garnishes to your taste. For example, you can use a carrot and dried plums. Oil is another ingredient since we need to fry the chicken. Rice is considered the main ingredient here since the stew should be eaten with a dish of rice.

How to cook Khoresht Morgh?

To cook Morgh Stew, fist, you need to cook the chicken. Pour some water in a pot. Cook the chicken with onions, cinnamon, bell peppers, and some spices. Then start making a sauce. Mix the butter with tomato paste, salt, pepper, and saffron to make the sauce. After the chickens are cooked, separate the chickens. Sift the stock and add some of that to the sauce. Place the chickens in the sauce and cook them well inside it. Cut green beans into shorter pieces and cook them in boiling water for some minutes until they soften.

Saute them in a pan with tomato paste, butter, and saffron. You can use the chicken’s sauce. Fry some french fries. Slice a carrot into thin circles, first cook it in a little boiling water to soften. Then add it to the sauce. To serve this food, you need to prepare a dish of rice in Chelow style. If you are making it for yourself, you can use Kateh instead of Chelow.

Recipe:

This recipe is adequate for four people. The preparation time is about 20 minutes, and the cooking time is about 3 hours. You need to prepare a dish of Chelo to serve with the stew.