Zubereitung

1. 1

   Grind the saffron threads finely with the pinch of sugar in a mortar, pour over the hot water for the saffron and leave to steep, covered, until the water is deep orange.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, pat the chicken legs dry, cut them through at the joint and rub them with salt and pepper. Peel and halve the onions and cut them into thin strips.

3. 3

   Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide, heavy pot and brown the chicken pieces until golden all over, then remove them.

4. 4

   Cook the onions in the pan fat until golden, stir in the turmeric and toast briefly. Add the chicken pieces with their juices, the cinnamon stick and the hot water, bring to the boil and braise, covered, over a low heat.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, bring the sour cherries to the boil with the cherry juice and 2 tbsp sugar in a small pan and simmer uncovered until the juice is slightly syrupy.

6. 6

   Wash and quarter the apples, cut out the cores and cut each unpeeled quarter into two wedges. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the wedges on both sides until golden brown, so that they are coloured on the outside but still firm inside.

7. 7

   Pour the cherries with their syrup and the saffron water into the pot and fold them in carefully. Lay the apple wedges on top and continue braising everything, covered, over a low heat without stirring, so that the apples stay whole.

8. 8

   Check with a meat thermometer next to the bone: the chicken must be 75 °C throughout and the juices should run clear; otherwise braise for a few more minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and season the sauce with salt and, to taste, the remaining sugar; it should remain distinctly tangy.

9. 9

   Tip: Serve with fluffy white rice, for example Birinc bi şehriye — White Rice with Toasted Vermicelli, with the red sauce spooned over it. In summer the stew is especially good with fresh pitted sour cherries, though it then needs a little more sugar; instead of chicken, some families use diced lamb shoulder, which braises about an hour longer. Cool leftover rice quickly, put it in the fridge within two hours at the latest and eat it within a day; the stew itself keeps in the fridge for two days and should be reheated thoroughly until the chicken is back at 75 °C.