Season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper and turmeric and fry in oil until golden brown. Put the sour cherries with the sugar and the accumulated juice in a small saucepan and cook, there should be little liquid left.
Cook the rice in plenty of salted water until it is almost soft. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, spread a layer of rice over it, put a few cherries and the chicken pieces next to each other, another layer of rice, then cherries, etc. Mix about ½ cup of rice with the dissolved saffron, add the last layer of rice on top. Place a clean kitchen towel between the pot and the lid, close tightly and let it steam for about 1 1/2 hours on the lowest flame.
Then rinse the bottom of the pot well with cold water so that the crust comes off, arrange the rice and chicken pieces on a platter, garnish with pistachios or almonds. Loosen the crust from the pot, it should be golden brown but not black! Serve with the rice.
Side dish: Zaziki (called mast-o-chiar in Persian and is often flavored with a little finely ground mint.)