This dish is a spin on Samin Nosrat's classic and illustrious Buttermilk-Marinated Roasted Chicken. In her book Salt Fat Acid Heat, she provides a few spins on the recipe, and this is my take on the saffron spin.
Here's how I made it:
1) Make saffron tea by grinding a pinch of saffron and a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle. Then add about two tablespoons of nearly boiling water and let it steep.
2) Add zest from one lemon into 1.5 cups of plain greek yogurt. Season the yogurt with salt and pepper.
3) Stir the saffron tea into the seasoned yogurt.
4) Marinate boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the saffron yogurt for at least 15 minutes and up to 24 hours. 15 minutes before the chicken finishes marinating, preheat the oven to 400 F.
5) Slice one large white or yellow onion and lay the pieces on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Season the onion slices with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
6) Lay the chicken pieces and a few lemon wedges on top of the onions and bake at 400 F until the chicken is 150 F. Finish the chicken under the broiler to brown the top. Serve with Samin Nosrat's Persian-ish rice!
