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Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime

May 24, 2020Last Modified: May 18, 2021

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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!

Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime and rice

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.

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!

The Ingredients Required For Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime

Chicken, garlic, sumac, limes, garlic, salt, pepper

Very few ingredients are needed to produce this scrumptious dish, as you will see in the picture above. All you need is bone-in chicken thighs, garlic, lime, turmeric, salt, pepper, water, grapeseed oil, and sumac, for garnish.

spice mix of turmeric, salt, and pepper;  garlic and limes
chicken seasoned with turmeric, salt, and pepper

After mixing the turmeric, salt, and pepper, you simply season both sides of the chicken thighs and brown the chicken in a skillet.

browning seasoned chicken in a skillet

Braise the chicken for around 25 minutes, then remove the chicken and reduce the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken, and then dust with sumac and serve with juicy limes!

Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime and basmati rice on a white plate

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.

You MUST Try Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime!

Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime and basmati rice on a white plate

To conclude, you absolutely MUST try this dish! It produces a flavor so incredible you'll be craving it again and again! Serve this succulent and aromatic dish with rice (Persian rice if possible!) and of course take the time to squeeze 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!!!

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!!!

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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

Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime

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
Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian
Servings 4 people
Calories 396 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ts ground turmeric
  • 1 ts sea salt
  • 2 ts pepper
  • 4 bone-in chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoon grapeseed 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 and sprinkle with the spice mixture, turning to coat both sides.
    chicken seasoned with turmeric, salt, and pepper
  • 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.
    browning seasoned chicken in a skillet
  • Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, turn up the heat to high, and reduce the cooking liquid for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until it’s slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and pour the sauce over the chicken.
  • Dust the chicken with sumac and pepper, garnish with lime halves, and serve.
    Turmeric Chicken With Sumac and Lime and rice

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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