I love Winter Break; it is the second most wonderful thing about my job (the first being Summer Break). Don’t get me wrong; there is plenty of work to do for a college professor at this time of year. There are new courses to be prepped, scores to study, rehearsals to plan, and a whole new summer season to schedule; but there is something wonderful about being able to do all this work from the comfort of my own home.
I mentioned before that I recently moved into my dream apartment, a sweet studio with windows facing south onto Main Street. South facing windows is such a necessity for me – I simply must have the sun, or I become completely crazy during the winter. Fortunately, today I can sit in the window and enjoy the sun in full force and pretend that it isn’t 10-degrees on the other side of those panes. Here’s my view this afternoon:
Winter is for regrouping for the next two months of classes, rehearsals, and cold; and regrouping means getting back into the habit of cooking. Fortunately, I love cooking warm, wintery foods, so its a fairly easy habit to form. This month’s Bon Appétit has an awesome section giving lessons on specific cooking basics; a section on braising included this recipe. I realized I was only missing a few items from the recipe and decided to make it happen.
Every afternoon, I take a walk for tea or a chat with a friend. I also take a jaunt down to the grocery three blocks away for fresh ingredients. The recipe called for 6 whole chicken legs (drumsticks with legs), ginger root, cilantro, and spinach.
I’ve hit a tipping point with meat and intend to buy locally and organic as best I can during 2013 to foster the idea of local farmers raising meat untouched by hormones and keeping fossil fuel usage to a minimum. Unfortunately, the only colorado chicken they had was in drumsticks and thighs separately. But when I looked at the only whole chicken legs, they were as big as pigs legs and $3.97 for four – these must be beefed up on some chemicals, right?
I bought the smaller, Colorado-raised chicken (5 drumsticks and 4 thighs), and it worked beautifully and made all the difference. This is a great dish – easy to construct and warm and spicy (more fragrant than hot) for the cold winter months. I’m finishing off the leftovers again today for lunch. I’ll make this recipe again; I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Indian-Spiced Chicken over Brown, Long-grain Rice
Indian-Spiced Chicken with Chickpeas and Spinach
This recipe is from Bon Appétit, January 2013, p.81. It is basically appears as it did in the magazine, which was very clean from the beginning. I made a few adjustments based on what I had on hand and keeping the dish non-dairy. Enjoy 🙂
1 Tbsp. safflower oil (I used safflower oil because I had it on hand; it called for vegetable oil)
5 chicken drumsticks and 4 chicken thighs, skin removed
Salt
1Tbsp. coconut butter spread (it originally called for unsalted butter)
2 large onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. grated peeled ginger
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I used a bit more)
1 15-oz. can of chickpeas, rinced
2 cups (or more) low-sodium chicken broth
5-oz. baby spinach
1/4 cup soy yogurt (originally called for greek yogurt)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Browning the chicken
1. Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 350. Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt. Working in batches, cook chicken until golden brown on all sides (careful of over-browning) – about 8-10 minutes per piece. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add butter and onions to drippings in pot; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until golden and soft – 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, and ground spices. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant – 1 minute. Stir in chickpeas and broth; add chicken and any drippings. Add more broth if necessary to cover chicken 3/4.
3. Bring to a simmer, cover pot, and place in stove for 45-55 minutes until chicken is fork-tender.
4. Transfer chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Place spinach to pot, cover, and remove from heat allowing to wilt – 5-7 minutes. Stir in yogurt and season all with salt. Warm up over low heat and add chicken back. Serve over basmati rice (I used brown long-grain); top with cilantro.
Indian-Spiced Chicken and Rice
The Alchemist's Kitchen 