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Home » Recipes

Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime

May 24, 2020Last Modified: October 28, 2022

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This page may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post is about a fantastic Persian recipe by Louisa Shafia called Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime!

Browned and cooked chicken thighs sprinkled with sumac and sitting in a yellow tinged braising sauce with lime wedges in a white dish.
Jump to:
  • The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia
  • Ingredients
  • Easy Instructions
  • You MUST Try This Wonderful Persian Dish!
  • FAQ
  • Thank You To Louisa Shafia!
  • Other Easy Recipes You May Enjoy
  • Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!
  • Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime

I can't remember where I first came across this recipe for Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime, but I can tell you it was a LIFE CHANGING DAY! I was delighted to be able to bring a taste of Persian cooking into my own kitchen.

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes, and makes for an elegant and easy dinner. I'm super excited to tell you all about this delicious recipe!

The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia

The recipe for Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime is from the cookbook The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia. Ms. Shafia is a chef, recipe developer, and cookbook author. She is of Iranian heritage, and her book The New Persian Kitchen is full of Persian recipes developed with a contemporary take on this amazing cuisine.

You must visit Ms. Shafia's shop, Feast by Louisa! Her shop features signed copies of her cookbooks "The New Persian Kitchen" and "Lucid Food," as well as an amazing Persian Spice Kit, and Rice Bonnet, which will help you achieve the PERFECT Persian rice!

Ingredients

Chicken thighs with skin in a white bowl, a bottle of grapeseed oil, 2 limes, 4 cloves of garlic, sumac in a white dish, salt, pepper, and turmeric in a white dish.
Ingredients Required For This Recipe

You only need a very few ingredients to produce this scrumptious dish, as you will see in the picture above. All you need is:

  • Bone-in chicken thighs
  • Garlic
  • Lime
  • Turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
  • Sea Salt or Pink Himalayan Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Water
  • Grapeseed oil (you can sub olive oil)
  • Sumac for garnish

You should be able to find most of these ingredients at your local grocery store.

What is Sumac?

Sumac is widely used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. The sumac bush is native to the Middle East. It produces deep red berries, which are dried and then ground to a powder. It's often part of another Middle Eastern spice called Za'atar. Za'atar is one of the foods in my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project and you can read about it here.

The taste of sumac is somewhat sour, like lemon, and it has a beautiful dark red color as you can see in the picture above. In the Turmeric Chicken With Sumac And Lime, the sumac is strictly used as a garnish. I urge you to experiment with pairing sumac with fish, lamb, and vegetables as well!

For convenience, I included a link to purchase sumac from Amazon here. Otherwise you may be able to find this amazing spice at major grocery stores or a Middle Eastern market if you have access to one.

Health Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric (and especially curcumin which is its most active compound) also has many health benefits associated with it! There is also a great article, again from Healthline.com, called "10 Proven Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin" which is really fascinating and worth reading. So in addition to enjoying a delicious dish, you can also reap some of the rewards from consuming this great spice!

Easy Instructions

It's incredibly easy to make this wonderful Turmeric Chicken recipe. The prep time is about 5 minutes and the cooking time is around 45 minutes.

Begin by mixing the turmeric with 1 ts salt and 2 teaspoons pepper in a small bowl. These 3 spices make for a fantastic spice combination!

Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet or plate and sprinkle with the spice mixture, turning to coat both sides. Look at the beautiful golden hue that the turmeric imparts to this chicken!

Chicken thighs with skin seasoned with salt, pepper, and turmeric on a plate.

Next heat a large frying pan or large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Brown the chicken well on both sides, about 7 minutes per side. Pour in the water, then add the garlic, stirring it into the water. Bring the water to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and cover. Braise the chicken for 25 minutes, until the inside is opaque.

Try to aim for an internal temperature of around 175F to 180F reading on a meat thermometer which should give you tender and juicy thigh meat.

Chicken thighs which have been browned and are braising in a braising sauce in a dutch oven.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, turn up the heat to high, and reduce the cooking liquid for a few minutes (around 2-3 minutes), stirring occasionally until it’s slightly thickened.

Deep brown colored braising sauce in a dutch oven.
Reduce the braising liquid, which will be poured over the chicken.

Season to taste with extra salt and pepper, and pour the sauce over the chicken. Now dust with sumac and serve with juicy limes!

Browned and cooked chicken thighs sprinkled with sumac and sitting in a yellow tinged braising sauce with lime wedges in a white dish with some sumac in a small white dish in the background.

You MUST Try This Wonderful Persian Dish!

Chicken thighs which have been cooked and browned with a garlic braising sauce poured over the chicken and 3 lime wedges adorning the dish in a white bowl.

To conclude, you absolutely MUST try this Persian sumac chicken dish! It produces a flavor so incredible you'll be craving it again and again! Serve this succulent and aromatic dish with white rice, or Persian rice for an amazing dining experience. And of course take the time to squeeze the lime juice from your juicy limes all over the chicken before eating!

This recipe will show you that you can bring a taste of Iran to your home! Super simple and absolutely delicious, I believe your whole family will be craving it!

Enjoy!!!

FAQ

How can I store any leftovers?

Store leftovers in an airtight container and place in your refrigerator. This is best consumed within 2 days of preparing it.

How can I remove turmeric stains?

In the event turmeric stains your clothes or other items, please refer to this informative article from BHG.com: "How to Remove Turmeric Stains from Household Items." It has all the info you will need!

Thank You To Louisa Shafia!

Last but certainly not least, I cannot tell you how thrilled I was when Louisa Shafia gave me permission to publish this recipe! It's been such a favorite of mine, I'm absolutely over the moon to be able to share it here and with as many people as I can!

You can view www.LouisaShafia.com for more information on Ms. Shafia, additional recipes, and also details on her cooking classes. It would be such a dream for me to attend one of her classes one day!

Thank you Louisa Shafia and may all the best be yours!!!

Other Easy Recipes You May Enjoy

Classic Filipino Chicken Adobo

Filipino Chicken Adobo chicken thighs with bay leaves, smashed garlic, and black peppercorns in a white dish

Chicken Biryani

Chicken biryani with chicken pieces, rice, onions, cilantro and tomatoes on a silver plate with a second plate of the same in the background

Join Me On A Fun Food Journey!

Please sign up to get the latest recipes and culinary inspiration! Also come along with me on the 1,000 Foods to Eat Journey by signing up here. 🙂

Cheers!

Grace

Browned and cooked chicken thighs sprinkled with sumac and sitting in a yellow tinged braising sauce with lime wedges in a white dish.

Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime

Louisa Shafia
Absolutely incredibly easy and scrumptious Persian recipe for Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime!
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian
Servings 2 people
Calories 396 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ts ground turmeric
  • 1 ts sea salt or Pink Himalayan Salt
  • 2 ts pepper
  • 4 bone-in chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoon grapeseed oil can sub olive oil
  • ¾ cup water
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 limes juicy and halved!
  • sumac for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, mix the turmeric with 1 ts salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet or plate and sprinkle with the spice mixture, turning to coat both sides.
    Chicken thighs with skin seasoned with salt, pepper, and turmeric on a plate.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Brown the chicken well on both sides, about 7 minutes per side. Pour in the water, then add the garlic, stirring it into the water. Bring the water to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and cover. Braise the chicken for 25 minutes, until the inside is opaque.
    Chicken thighs which have been browned and are braising in a braising sauce in a dutch oven.
  • Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, turn up the heat to high, and reduce the cooking liquid for a few minutes (around 2-3 minutes), stirring occasionally until it’s slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and pour the sauce over the chicken.
    Deep brown colored braising sauce in a dutch oven.
  • Dust the chicken with sumac and pepper, garnish with lime halves, and serve.
    Browned and cooked chicken thighs sprinkled with sumac and sitting in a yellow tinged braising sauce with lime wedges in a white dish with some sumac in a small white dish in the background.

Notes

Serve this with rice, preferably Persian rice!
There is also a Vegetarian Option: Use whole portobello mushrooms in place of the chicken, or use 1 pound firm tofu, well drained and cut into slabs 1 inch thick. You will need a little extra oil for searing than what is called for in the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 396kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 24gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 142mgSodium: 696mgPotassium: 363mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 132IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Chicken, lime, sumac, turmeric
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. April Lewis

    June 08, 2020 at 8:00 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was so delicious 😋 I made it twice within 1 week already! My husband thought I had put too much Tumeric but I thought it was perfect. perfect! One of my favorite chicken dishes!

    Reply
  2. Eden Macinnes

    June 08, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    5 stars
    We made this last week and it was so good. My family devoured it. Will make it again. It’s a very simple recipe, so easy to make . Definitely on my list to serve when I have company. Already shared the recipe to my daughter and brother.

    Reply
    • Grace

      June 09, 2020 at 7:41 pm

      Hi Eden! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and most importantly I'm super happy that your family loved this dish! Thank you also for sharing with your daughter and brother! Take care! Grace

      Reply

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About Me

Hi I’m Grace! I'm married and a mom to my fur baby, Toby, and food and travel are two of my greatest passions! Since our bank account does not allow us to travel or eat out as much as we'd like, I decided I would cook delicious meals that could give us a taste of all the places we'd like to go. My goal is to get you in the kitchen, and inspire you to cook and taste delightful meals that will transport you too. Let’s throw some actual travel in from time to time, all with an emphasis on keeping your wallet full and happy as well. Let’s get cooking and let’s start exploring!! I'm excited to be on this journey with you!!

By the way most of these recipes are Toby taste tested and Toby approved!!

Chief Taste Tester Toby

Toby Chief Taste Tester

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