Name: Roast Chicken with Dates, Walnuts + Sumac (Morgh-e Briyan ba Somaq-o Khorma)
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 25 min
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Yield: Serves: 4 to 6
Cuisine: Iranian
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon dried thyme; 1 tablespoon sesame seeds; 4 tablespoons sumac powder; 1 large chicken or 2 Cornish hens (about 5 lb/2.3 kg); 5 teaspoons fine sea salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper; ¼ cup/60 g date molasses or syrup; ¼ cup/60 ml raw sesame or olive oil; 5 Medjool dates, any remaining hard stalk parts removed, pitted and stuffed with walnut halves; 6 cloves garlic, peeled; 1 small onion, peeled and quartered; ½ cup/120 ml fresh lime juice; 1 tablespoon turmeric

Preparation info

Serves:
4 to 6

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
3 hr

Appears in

Cooking in Iran

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2020

About

The date molasses glaze gives an interesting texture and an unexpected flavor to this roast.

Ingredients

dry rub

5 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1

Method

For the dry rub: Place all the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl and mix well.
For the chicken: Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. Rinse the chicken, place it on the sheet pan, and pat it thoroughly dry. Rub it all over, inside and outside, with the lime juice, then with the dry rub mixture, pushing some of it under the skin. Cov