Persian Crispy Rice Cups | Tahchin Bites

This recipe is for a clever easy to serve, easy-to-eat, bite-sized version of Tachin Persian Chicken and Rice Casserole.  We are calling this updated version Persian Crispy Rice Cups, or Tahchin Bites.  Tahchin is Persian food at its finest, combining royal long-grain rice with aromatic turmeric and saffron. Today we are making tahchin morgh, “morgh” meaning chicken in Farsi. It is optionally topped with candied, dried barberries (known as zereshk in Farsi) giving it a unique sweet and sour twist.  Tahchin is easily one of our family favorites as well as an easy go-to weeknight recipe.  In Persian cuisine, the crispy bottom of the pot is a delicacy.  In Farsi, we call this crispy rice tahdigh. Everyone loves tahdigh but it always goes quickly and can be a challenge to share.  With Persian Crispy rice cups everyone gets a personal-sized portion of their very own tahdig every time!

The ingredients are the same as in the traditional tahchin recipes.  The process is very similar with just a slight variation in the layering technique.  We use a muffin tin for handy, individual-sized servings.  The oven temperature is similar however the baking time is shorter using muffin tins.

This is a great dish to make to take to an outdoor gathering, picnic or potluck.  It’s easy to pre-cook the main ingredients to then mix and layer on the day of the event.  The baked tahchin crispy rice cakes or cups travel well.

Although in the steps of this recipe we cook parboiled rice and chicken from scratch, one of the things I love most about tahchin is that it is very easy and forgiving.  I often make this dish using up leftover plain rice and chicken and think of it as a tasty chicken and rice casserole.  If you are new to cooking Persian cuisine, I recommend you start with this simple recipe that pleases almost every palate.  In my mind, there’s nothing simpler and easier to digest than chicken, rice and yogurt.

Process steps

• Start with making parboiled rice (about 1 full cup of dry rice yields about 3 cooks of cooked rice) using 2 teaspoons of the salt
• Pre-cook 2 boneless chicken breasts using 1 teaspoon of the salt; cut into small pieces
• *Bloom saffron (see recipe notes) and add to a bowl with eggs, yogurt, and spices
• Soak dried barberries (zereshk) in equal parts boiling water to soften and rehydrate them – this takes about 10 minutes; then drain any remaining water from the berries
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
• Generously oil a good non-stick muffin or cupcake baking pan
• Add enough dissolved saffron to evenly color 1 cup of the parboiled rice (we use both bloomed saffron and spray saffron for good color and even consistency of aroma and color) gently stir until the rice is yellow
• Spoon out the yellow, saffron-infused plain rice to the bottom of each muffin cup in the baking pan in a thin even layer; press it down with the back of the spoon to firmly pack the rice layer down (about 1/2 inch to 1 inch in thickness)
• Stir the egg yolks with a fork for about 10 to 20 seconds; add the yogurt, remaining bloomed saffron liquid, and spices and stir to combine
• Add the remaining 2 cups of parboiled rice into the yogurt/egg mixture
• Stir the chicken into the rice and yogurt mixture
• Spoon in the chicken/rice/yogurt mixture into each muffin tin cup, filling to the tops of the cups – press down if necessary
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the edges are crispy and browned (check on the results during the last 10 minutes to avoid the edges from burning and see recipe notes)
• Allow to cool slightly, then invert the pan on a large platter or cutting board
• Transfer the baked tahchin cups to a serving dish
• Drain the water from the soaked dried barberries (zereshk)
• Sauté the barberries (zereshk) in butter and sugar just until soft and glistening (about 2 minutes)
• Garnish the tops of the tahchin Persian crispy rice cups with the candied barberries (zereshk)

Scroll to the bottom to see our recipe notes for easy cooking tips as well as notes on how to best invert and flip out the mini tahchin cakes.

Once the tachin cups or cakes have been removed from the muffin or cupcake tin, the garnish and food art options are endless.  Use candied barberries (zereshk in Farsi) to add a pop of color as well as a welcome sweetly tart taste to make this a unique appetizer.

Use fresh herbs and greens on a serving platter – I like using arugula, spinach, and fresh herbs from our garden.  Keep it simple and traditional with barberries or play with garnishes such as slivered almonds and culinary rose petals.

A nice compliment to this rich and filling dish s a light Persian Cucumber Yogurt Dip | Mast O Khiar.

We hope you enjoyed this modern twist to a classic Persian casserole, prepared and served in a fun new way.  If you try it please leave a comment and share with us how it went.  Our community is growing daily and we love to hear what works for you in today’s modern lifestyles.

As with most Persian/Farsi words that are converted into the English language, there are many possible spellings for our unique dishes.  

Other spellings for Persian dishes:

• Tachin (also spelled tahchin, tacheen, and tahcheen)
• Tahdigh (also spelled tadig, tadigh, tahdeeg, tadeeg, tadeegh, tahdeegh, tahdigh)

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