Are you also one of those who love oranges? Well, today I have a delicious Persian chicken dish for you. Khoresht-e Porteghal – Orange Chicken Legs خورش پرتقال is a typical dish from the north of Iran. Full of Persian flavors and a delightful combination of chicken and oranges in a Shomali style. In case you want to impress your guests at Christmas, you can also prepare this recipe with duck or goose. For a colorful effect just replace the oranges with blood oranges. It is super easy to prepare, but it should simmer for about 1 hour to ensure tenderness. The meat will fall off the bone. The recipe Khoresht-e Porteghal – Orange Chicken Legs خورش پرتقال is my post for my blog event #Kochenfueriran.

KHORESHT-E PORTEGHAL خورش پرتقال FOR #KOCHENFUERIRAN

I prepared this recipe for my blog event #kochenfueriran to be the voice of my people in Iran. For months they have been fighting in the streets for human rights and freedom. They now need international solidarity. Through this action, I want to stand with my Iranian people, so they know that we hear and see them over here. By cooking, and sharing recipes on social media, we reach many people and as a result, international attention. Please be aware instead of ignoring the situation!

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE PEOPLE IN IRAN?

LOOK at what is happening in Iran gives people hope that a change will come after all. Keep the media’s attention, this way we can save lives from death. People don’t want the government anymore and we have to act fast. For this, you can go to the following serious accounts on Instagram:

@duzentekkal                 @natalie_amiri                 @masih.alinejad 

@damitdasklaas              @susanzare                       @bamdad_esmaili

@danielasepehri             @gilda_sahebi                  @hawar.help

SHARE POSTS

Share posts about Iran on social media channels like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Tag people in politics and urge them to do something about it. Thank people on social media channels who are standing for Iran. Support actions such as cutting off hair as a sign of solidarity with women in Iran. Cutting off hair is a sign of mourning; Kurdish women place their cut braid on the grave of a loved one who has died. Many women also cut a lock of hair and send it without a sender to Iranian embassies in their country.

BE ACTIVE

You can support Hawar Help with donations, every small donation counts. Sign petitions like the following petition on the Hawar Help campaign page:

Elf Forderungen an die Bundesregierung

Petitionen von Amnesty International, z. B.

Schluss mit der Gewalt 

Write to your city representatives, the German government, or Annalena Baerbock and ask them to act. These actions have resulted in Ms. Baerbock calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council. These actions also increase the pressure against the repressive government and ultimately resulted in the release of some prisoners, as their names were constantly mentioned in #saytheirnames.

TAKE PART

You can take an active part in the weekly demonstrations. Up to now, it is mainly Iranians in exile who are active on the streets abroad. Show your solidarity with the people currently giving their lives on the streets of Iran, for a better future and their freedom. Visit lectures and discussions about Iran, in many cities there are authors, journalists, actors, exiled Iranians or German-Iranians, who are on the road and talk about what is happening in Iran. Also, artists show their art in pictures, photographs, or collages in different institutions. In the process, they discuss themes that the people of Iran have been suffering for the past 43 years.

TALK TO OTHERS

Perhaps you believe that Iran is not your business, but everything that happens in our world affects us individually, and we can do much more than we think. We are able to do more than we think. If you don’t want to be public, break your silence anyway and talk to friends, neighbors or family about what is happening in Iran right now.

Human beeings are members of a whole,

In creation of one essence and soul.

If one member is afflicted with pain,

other members uneasy will remain.

If you have no sympathy for human pain,

the name of human you cannot retain. 

SAADI

Do you have other suggestions, feel free to post them below in the comments.

PEEL AND DRY ORANGE ZEST

You can peel fresh zest from untreated orange rinds with a zester. The zests and the contained orange oil add that specific touch to the dish. I used dried orange peels for this recipe, because I often prepare freshly squeezed orange juice. Throwing away the aromatic peels is against my nature, so I save the peels. I use a peeler to remove the peel without the bitter white lower peel and cut it into fine strips with a sharp knife. You can also use a special zester*. Then I dry the peels for 20 minutes in the oven with the door slightly open at 50°. So I always have a stock of dried orange peels. I then keep them in a jar with a lid.

HOW TO FILLET ORANGES

Filleting oranges is very easy. Cut the top and bottom of the orange so you can see the flesh. Prepare a bowl to catch the juice that drips from the oranges when you cut them. Using a sharp knife, cut the peel from the oranges, including the white skin, from the flesh. Cut with a knife between the separating skins, on the right and left, to get single orange fillets. Squeeze the juice by hand and save it for later.

INGREDIENTS KHORESH PORTEGHAL

INGREDIENTS SAFFRON INFUSE

1/2 tsp saffron threads*

20 ml boiling water

INGREDIENTS CHICKEN LEGS

2 tbsp dried* or fresh orange peel

1 tbsp oil

1 red onion

4 chicken legs

1 clove of garlic

1/2 tsp. coriander seeds*, freshly ground

500 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed

salt

30 g cold butter

2 oranges, filleted

1 orange, sliced

1 tbsp sugar

TOPPING

2 tbsp pistachio and/or almond slivers

PREPARE SAFFRON INFUSE

Finely grind saffron in a mortar. Pour boiling water over and let infuse, covered.

PREPARATION KHORESH PORTEGHAL

Bring the dried orange peels to a boil 3 times in a pot of water, discarding the water each time. Drain on a kitchen towel and set aside.

Slice the onion. Heat oil in a pan and sauté onions until soft and glassy. Remove from pan and set aside.

Wash chicken legs and dry them well. Sauté in a pan until golden all over, once they are fried add garlic through a press. Finely grind coriander seeds and add. Add the cooked orange peels as well and fry briefly.

Add freshly squeezed orange juice and salt to taste and place a lid on the pan. After about 15 minutes, add a tablespoon of saffron infuse, simmer over medium heat for another 30 min until chicken legs are done. In the end, add cold butter to thicken and mix in gently. If the sauce is still too liquid, you can also thicken it with a little flour.

In the meantime, peel and fillet the oranges (see text above). For a little visual variety, slice an orange as a whole without the white part.

Add orange fillets, remaining saffron infuse, and sugar, simmering just until warmed through (about 5 minutes). The orange fillets should remain whole and should not fall apart.

Serve on a plate and top with pistachio and almond slivers.

Serve with Persian smoked rice.

BEFARMAYID!

Susan

The items marked with * are affiliate links, referral links. If you buy through this link, I get a small commission. The price stays the same for you and you can easily support my efforts. A big thank you ♥

Save the recipe for later on Pinterest!

Have you cooked this or maybe another delicious recipe of mine? Feel free to leave me a comment below. If you tag your picture on Instagram with @labsalliebe  and use the hashtag #labsalliebe, I won’t miss a post and will be happy to leave you a comment as well. Can’t wait to see your creations.

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