This spicy saffron grilled chicken is marinated with a secret ingredient that helps keep the chicken super moist and tender and is perfect for summertime grilling.
Watch the step by step tutorial on how to make this spicy saffron grilled chicken here.
What makes this spicy saffron grilled chicken so good?
Chicken breasts have almost no fat on them which means that they tend to dry out and overcook very easily while grilling. After a lot of recipe testing, I've found a genius way to keep chicken breasts super moist and juicy while grilling!
Are you ready for my secret ingredient, that helps achieve perfectly moist and juicy grilled chicken?
Drum roll please... It is Mayonnaise ☺
Mayonnaise has plenty of fat in it which prevents chicken from drying out on the grill and helps lock in the natural moisture from the chicken.. It also has a nice tang from vinegar which helps the chicken become super tender. If you've used yogurt in marinades before, then mayonnaise plays a similar role!
I love using this brand of mayonnaise, since it is made from avocado oil and super clean ingredients. If you've been visiting my blog for a while, you will know that I always use avocado oil in my cooking. Unrefined avocado oil is one of the healthiest sources of fats available in the market and is always my top choice for any high heat cooking.
Perfect accompaniments to this spicy saffron grilled chicken
This saffron grilled chicken recipe goes really well with simple grains like quinoa or rice and either a side salad or some grilled veggies. I served the chicken with some jeera (cumin) rice and mixed grilled veggies.
To make the grilled veggies, I thickly sliced some bell peppers, onions and cabbage, placed them on a piece of aluminium foil and tossed them with some avocado oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. I then grilled the veggies alongside the chicken.
Here's how you can make the jeera rice:
Heat 2 teaspoons of ghee in in a heavy bottomed pot on medium heat and add in 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds when the ghee gets hot. When the seeds are lightly toasted, add in 1 finely chopped spicy green chilli and toast it for a few seconds. Next add in 1 cup washed basmati rice and toast it in the ghee for 1-2 minutes. Pour in 1 and ¾ cup water and add salt to taste and when the water comes up to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid and lower the heat to the lowest setting and cook for exactly 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice sit covered for another 15 minutes before opening and serving! Garnish with some cilantro if you like.
Alternatives to grilling
I've made this recipe quite a few times and it always works perfectly when grilled using either a gas or charcoal grill.
I have a small patio and this is the grill that I use. It works perfectly to grill food for 3-4 people and it is compact enough to take on trips.
If you don't have an outdoor grill or you'd like to make this dish in the colder months, here are some other methods of cooking this dish:
- Grill the marinated protein on a grill pan over the stove top. This is my current favorite grill pan that works perfectly every time.
- Cook the protein in a skillet or frying pan over the stove top.
- You could also use this marinade on smaller pieces of protein and skewer them before grilling/cooking.
For all these methods, you will not need to grease your pan since the mayonnaise has plenty of oil to prevent sticking.
Alternative protein options
The spicy saffron marinade is super versatile and works great on other types of protein or veggies too!
Some lovely alternatives would be Paneer, Tofu, Tempeh, Shrimp, Fish or other types of meat. You could even marinate hardy veggies like cauliflower or parboiled potatoes/ sweet potatoes and grill them for a lip smacking side dish.
More recipes to try out
If you like this spicy saffron grilled chicken recipe, then you might also like to check out my curry roasted cauliflower and beautiful vegetable ratatouille recipes. These are both easy to make and turn out super delicious.
Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think and subscribe to my social media if you would like to see more easy and delicious recipes.
Watch the step by step tutorial on how to make this spicy saffron grilled chicken here.
Recipe
Spicy saffrom grilled chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pinch saffron (about 30 strands)
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin seed powder
- ½ teaspoon chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon beet powder (for a bright red color)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt to taste
- 3 medium chicken breasts (or 6 -8 chicken thighs/drumsticks)
Instructions
- Start by pounding the saffron strands in a mortar and pestle to a fine powder. Add in a teaspoon of water to the mortar and mix well until the saffron has infused into the water.
- Into a large bowl, add in the mayonnaise with the saffron infused water and all the spices listed above. Mix everything together until you have a smooth marinade. At this point, taste the marinade and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Add in the chicken breasts and and mix them well in the marinade until each piece is coated well. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- If you are using an outdoor grill, preheat the grill to 400-450F and then cook the chicken flipping halfway through. I like using a leave in thermometer to make sure my chicken doesn't over or under cook. The chicken will be completely cooked when it reaches 165F/74C at its thickest part which takes me about 15 minutes in my outdoor grill. (See notes for other modes of cooking)
- Once you take the chicken off the grill, cover it with a piece of aluminium foil and let it rest for about 8-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Grill the marinated protein on a grill pan over the stove top.
- Cook the protein in a skilled or frying pan over the stove top.
- You could also use this marinade on smaller pieces of protein and skewer them before grilling/cooking.
Val says
You had me at saffron! 🙂 The chicken looks so succulent, thanks for this easy peasy recipe !
Viola says
Thank you so much, it is very simple and turns out very delicious!