Tahchin, Persian saffron rice cake with chicken

Directions

1. Cook the chicken with the onion, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and water, until only about 60 ml of broth remains; shred the meat. ⏱ ≈ 10 min
2. Drain the yogurt through a clean cloth until it has lost about half its original weight. ≈ 2 min
3. Combine the drained yogurt, eggs, oil, saffron, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. ≈ 4 min
4. Add the chicken and let it marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours. ⏱ ≈ 2 hr
5. Boil 2 litres of water with 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the rice and cook it until it is tender but still firm. Then, drain the rice. ⏱ ≈ 10 min
6. Rinse the pine nuts, sprinkle them with sugar, and toast them in a small amount of butter for about a minute, then mix them with the almonds and pistachios. ≈ 4 min
7. If you wish, you can fry the eggplant in slices. ⏱ ≈ 8 min
8. Preheat the oven to 160 °C and generously grease the bottom and sides of a glass baking dish or casserole dish. ⏱ ≈ 10 min
9. Remove the chicken from the marinade using a fork, then mix the rice with the remaining marinade. ⏱ ≈ 2 hr
10. Spread half of the rice evenly in the dish and press it down firmly with the back of a spatula. ≈ 4 min
11. Cover half of the chicken and half of the spinach with a layer of well-packed rice (and eggplant, if using), leaving a small border. ≈ 3 min
12. Add the remaining chicken and rosemary, then the remaining rice, and press down firmly. ≈ 3 min
13. Pour the broth around the edges, sprinkle with the remaining butter in small pieces, and cover with aluminum foil that has been punctured with fork holes. ⏱ ≈ 10 min
14. Bake for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the base is golden brown. ⏱ 1 hr
15. Let it cool for a few minutes, then flip the dish over to release it. ⏱ ≈ 20 min