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4 poussin/pargiyot (very small baby hens) OR 1 chicken
Clean and rinse the chickens in cold water, then pat dry and rub with 1/2 teaspoon salt (I added the salt to the next stage).
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet and brown onion and garlic. Add prunes, apple, apricots, raisins, salt (omit if it is kashered meat), pepper, cinnamon, saffron water, and sugar. Mix well.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Stuff the hens with the fruit mixture and truss the cavities shut. Place the stuffed birds in a greased ovenproof dish or roasting pan. Cover and roast in the oven for 1-1/2 hours, basting with pan juices, until the meat separates easily from bone. One hour was enough in my oven, and I didn't baste and didn't cover either.
Serve with steamed plain Persian Rice (click here for recipe), salad and fresh herbs.
Poster's Notes:
DON'T ADD any other spices "stronger than saffron" like nutmeg, turmeric, or baharat...etc. They will ruin the delicate taste of this fine dish, which is not a regular oriental stuffed chicken.
Posted by Viviane Barzel
Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A
2-1/2 teaspoons salt (1-1/4 tsp is enough for koshered chickens)
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 cup pitted and finely chopped prunes
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 cup finely chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used 3/4 tsp.)
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon sugar
I recommend this recipe, ONLY if you can find good quality saffron, since the fragrance and taste are quite dominant.