When I was in high school, I dated a Persian (Iranian) guy for a few months. I don't remember much about our relationship, but I do remember his mother's cooking! After we'd been dating for while, his family invited mine over for a Friday night dinner. All I remember is a chicken/rice/currant/nut casserole that was absolutely delicious. This recipe is my attempt to recreate the dish from my memory (and with the help of several websites). It may have nothing to do with what I actually ate, but hopefully it will taste good nonetheless.

Makes a 9x9 casserole.

Ingredients
~1 lb chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, sliced into thin "chicken tender-sized" pieces (note, could also be made with lamb)
3 cloves garlic
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tps salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp saffron, dissolved in few tablespoons of boiling water
1 Egg yolk

2 cups water
1 cups basmati rice

1/2 medium onion, sliced thin
1/3 cup dried barberries (zereshk), cleaned, washed and drained
1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted briefly over dry heat
1/4 cup slivered pistachios, toasted briefly over dry heat

3 Tbs melted butter

Preparation

1. Prepare the chicken:
Mince and sautee the garlic for a few minutes. Remove from heat. Mix the garlic, yogurt, oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and saffron water, and stir well. Mix in the chicken breasts, cover and marinate for anywhere from one hour to overnight.

When ready to create casserole, remove the chicken from the marinade. Brush off excess marinade. Reserve the marinade. Brown chicken on stovetop, but avoid cooking all the way through.

2. Prepare the rice:
Rinse the basmati rice well. Soak in salty cold water for a few hours to overnight. When ready to cook, drain and rinse the rice well to get rid of the excess salt.

Bring 2 cups of water and salt to a boil. Pour the rice into the pot. Boil briskly for about 5 minutes, gently stirring twice to loosen any grains that may have stuck to the bottom. The rice is ready when its no longer hard (but not soft enough that you'd want to eat a lot of it). Drain.

3. Prepare the barberry-onion mixture:
Rinse the barberries well. Put in a colander, inside a bowl of water, for 15 minutes. Any sand or other yuckies with the berries will fall to the bottom. Give the barberries a quick look and make sure there aren't any stems, stones, or other things you wouldn't want to eat.

Saute the sliced onion in 1 tablespoon butter until translucent. Add barberries and saute for just 1 minute over LOW heat because barberries burn very easily! Add 1/2 tablespoon sugar, mix well, and set aside. (This can be done while the rice is parboiling.)

4. Prepare and cook the casserole:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Swab 2 tablespoons of melted butter onto the bottom and sides of a casserole dish (I used a 9x9).

Beat the egg yolk into the reserved marinade. Spread a thin layer of the marinade mix onto the bottom of the casserole dish.

Mix the rest of the marinade with the rice. Spoon a thin layer of the rice mix onto the bottom of the casserole dish. Press down firmly with the back of a spatula.

Mix the rest of the rice with the chicken, barberry mix, and nuts. Spoon the whole thing into the casserole dish. Pat down so it's even in top. Sprinkle a few more slivered almonds on top. Spread the remaining melted butter over the top.

Cover with aluminum foil, and cook for at least 1 hour. (Casserole can be eaten after about 30 mins, but the longer you cook it, the more golden brown and crispy the bottom will get.) Remove the aluminum foil and cook for 15 minutes more (so it gets crispy on top too).

5. Prepare to eat:
Remove the tah chin from the oven and set the pot or dish on top of a cold, damp towel for 2-3 minutes. (This makes it easier to remove.) If you like, invert a serving platter over the top of the pot, then carefully flip it over to drop the tah chin onto the platter. Cut into pie-shaped pieces and serve hot.