Traditional Persian Dargaz-Style Chicken Yakhni (Caramelized Onion Chicken)

Name: Traditional Persian Dargaz-Style Chicken Yakhni (Caramelized Onion Chicken)
Total time: 7200 s
Yield: 2–3 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 550 –600 g chicken leg quarters, bone-in (2 pieces); 600 g onions; 1 tablespoon oil; Salt, to taste; as needed Water; 480 g long-grain rice, preferably Persian rice; 3 tablespoons oil; Salt, to taste; as needed Water

Fateme Persian Kitchen @Fateme__1362

Iran ( Persia ) . Tehran

Yakhni is a traditional dish from Dargaz, a historic region of Khorasan, now located in Razavi Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran.

The word Yakhni means “cooked” or “cooked food” in Persian and traditionally refers to cooked meat or a simple meat-based dish.

In Dargaz, Yakhni has traditionally been prepared for many occasions, including weddings, mourning ceremonies, circumcision celebrations, festivals, and family gatherings. It has also been enjoyed as a home-cooked dish.

The traditional Dargaz Yakhni is beautifully simple: meat and plenty of onions are cooked slowly until the onions become deeply caramelized, creating the main flavor of the dish.

This version is made with chicken instead of the traditional meat. No saffron or spices are added to the Yakhni itself—the rich flavor comes from the chicken and deeply caramelized onions.

Yakhni is traditionally served with Persian Chelo, and I’ve included two methods for preparing the rice below. ❤️

#DargazYakhni #Yakhni #PersianCuisine #IranianCuisine #PersianFood #IranianFood #PersianChelo

Yakhni is a traditional dish from Dargaz, a historic region of Khorasan, now located in Razavi Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran.

The word Yakhni means “cooked” or “cooked food” in Persian and traditionally refers to cooked meat or a simple meat-based dish.

The traditional Dargaz Yakhni is beautifully simple: meat and plenty of onions are cooked slowly until the onions become deeply caramelized, creating the main flavor of the dish.

This version is made with chicken instead of the traditional meat. No saffron or spices are added to the Yakhni itself—the rich flavor comes from the chicken and deeply caramelized onions.

Yakhni is traditionally served with Persian Chelo, and I’ve included two methods for preparing the rice below. ❤️

#DargazYakhni #Yakhni #PersianCuisine #IranianCuisine #PersianFood #IranianFood #PersianChelo

Fateme Persian Kitchen @Fateme__1362

Iran ( Persia ) . Tehran

Yakhni is a traditional dish from Dargaz, a historic region of Khorasan, now located in Razavi Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran.

The word Yakhni means “cooked” or “cooked food” in Persian and traditionally refers to cooked meat or a simple meat-based dish.

The traditional Dargaz Yakhni is beautifully simple: meat and plenty of onions are cooked slowly until the onions become deeply caramelized, creating the main flavor of the dish.

This version is made with chicken instead of the traditional meat. No saffron or spices are added to the Yakhni itself—the rich flavor comes from the chicken and deeply caramelized onions.

Yakhni is traditionally served with Persian Chelo, and I’ve included two methods for preparing the rice below. ❤️

#DargazYakhni #Yakhni #PersianCuisine #IranianCuisine #PersianFood #IranianFood #PersianChelo

Yakhni is a traditional dish from Dargaz, a historic region of Khorasan, now located in Razavi Khorasan Province in northeastern Iran.

The word Yakhni means “cooked” or “cooked food” in Persian and traditionally refers to cooked meat or a simple meat-based dish.

The traditional Dargaz Yakhni is beautifully simple: meat and plenty of onions are cooked slowly until the onions become deeply caramelized, creating the main flavor of the dish.

This version is made with chicken instead of the traditional meat. No saffron or spices are added to the Yakhni itself—the rich flavor comes from the chicken and deeply caramelized onions.

Yakhni is traditionally served with Persian Chelo, and I’ve included two methods for preparing the rice below. ❤️

#DargazYakhni #Yakhni #PersianCuisine #IranianCuisine #PersianFood #IranianFood #PersianChelo

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Ingredients

About 2 hours

2–3 servings

For the Yakhni
550–600 g chicken leg quarters, bone-in (2 pieces)
600 gonions
1 tablespoonoil
Salt, to taste
as neededWater
For the Chelo
480 glong-grain rice, preferably Persian rice
3 tablespoonsoil
Salt, to taste
as neededWater

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Steps

About 2 hours

1

Peel the onions and slice them thinly.
2

Add the oil to the onions and mix well. Cook over low heat with the lid on. Stir occasionally to prevent the onions from burning. We are not making regular fried onions; for Dargaz Yakhni, the onions need to slowly caramelize. By the end, they should be brown rather than golden.
3

When the onions have started to turn golden, add some salt and continue cooking until they are fully caramelized.
4

Once the onions are fully caramelized, add the chicken leg quarters and sauté them in the onions until the color of the chicken changes.
5

Add a small amount of water—just enough to cover the bottom of the pot. The chicken should not be boiled or submerged in water. Cover the pot and cook over low heat until the chicken is fully cooked. Turn the chicken occasionally so both sides cook evenly.
6

The finished dish should not have much liquid or a watery sauce. The main flavor comes from the caramelized onions and chicken, with no spices or additional seasonings.
7

For the Chelo, you can prepare the Persian rice using either of these two methods:
Persian Chelo – Traditional Parboiled & Steamed Method

Chelow (Persian Steamed Rice)
8

Persian Chelo – One-Pot Absorption Method (Kateh)

Persian Kateh (Steamed Persian Rice)

Linked Recipes

Chelow (Persian Steamed Rice)

Persian Kateh (Steamed Persian Rice)

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Fateme Persian Kitchen @Fateme__1362

on September 05, 2026 19:05

Iran ( Persia ) . Tehran

Hi, I’m Fateme 👩‍🍳A home cook sharing traditional Persian recipes made simple.From stews to rice dishes, everything is explained step by step.Discover more on my Persian cooking page 👇 @Fateme_1362