KASHMIRI CHICKEN THIGHS

This is a pressure cooker (or Instant Pot) recipe. I am afraid that to get the texture of the meat and depth of flavor in the sauce just right, you’ll need to use it. Also, don’t be tempted to keep the skin on the chicken thighs, because they will make the sauce very fatty and heavy. So take a deep breath and remove it.

KASHMIRI CHICKEN THIGHS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium shallots, minced
4 whole cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tsp kashmiri chili
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
5 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup yogurt, full-fat
1 tsp cornstarch
fresh cilantro, to serve

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker (or your Instant Pot using the sauté function), add the shallots, cardamon pods, cinnamon stick and salt. Cook until the shallots are soft and fragrant. Add the ginger, tomato paste, chili, cumin, and paprika. Cook for about 1 minute, add 1 cup of water, gently stir, then add the chicken pieces.

Close the pan and cook in full pressure for 12 minutes, then let the pressure reduce naturally for 15 minutes. Release any pressure left (running water over the lid or doing whatever method is called for in the Instant Pot), open the pan and remove the chicken pieces to a serving bowl, keeping it tented with foil. Remove the cinnamon stick and cardamon pods, then reduce the sauce by simmering for 10 to 15 minutes. Mix the yogurt with cornstarch, add to the simmering sauce, return the chicken to the pan, and simmer it all together for a few minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Sprinkle fresh cilantro. Serve over rice or with your favorite side dish.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Kashmiri chili is a great spice, with subtle heat and unique flavor. The pressure cooker does a wonderful job tenderizing the meat and allowing the sauce to develop that complex taste usually reserved for things cooked for hours and hours. Adding a little amount of cornstarch to the yogurt prevents it from separating during simmering, and gives a velvety texture I am quite fond of. If you rather not use it, whisk the yogurt as you pour it into the pan, and avoid cooking for very long. The sauce will be obviously a lot thinner, but still taste wonderful.

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THAI CHICKEN WITH PEANUT SAUCE

A recipe that led to a marriage proposal gotta be pretty awesome, don’t you think? You can check out the details on this blog post. I modified slightly the recipe, which is delicious, but could not possibly end in engagement, as I am – as you know – very happily married already. The flavors are complex and the whole meal super satisfying. It would work on any type of weather, cold evenings, or warm nights. So even if you are in Brazil or Australia, grab the ingredients and go for it.


THAI CHICKEN WITH PEANUT SAUCE
(adapted from Well-Plated blog)

for the sauce:
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup tablespoons water (or more if needed)
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

for the stir-fry:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 medium size head of broccoli, florets only, chopped
½ cup dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts
fresh cilantro leaves, amount to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients until smooth: the peanut butter, water, honey, soy sauce, red curry paste, vinegar, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

Make the stir-fry: In a deep, large nonstick skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add the shallot and cook until fragrant and beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and salt, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer everything to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then the mixed vegetables. Sauté until the vegetables are crisp-tender. You can close the pan with a lid and reduce the heat for a couple of minutes to promote even cooking by steaming, then remove the lid, increase the heat until they are done to your liking.

Return the chicken and shallot to the skillet. Add the peanut sauce. Toss to coat evenly, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the peanuts and cilantro. Taste and add additional soy sauce or red pepper flakes, adjust salt if needed.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Peanut butter is obviously super thick and dense. I found it better to reduce the amount and dilute it a bit further with water, compared to her original recipe. If you don’t do that, it will be a bit too thick once you add it to the pan and heat it with all other ingredients. Feel free to add garlic if you like, if you’ve been around my blog you might remember we have issues with it, and never use it. Other veggies can be used instead of broccoli, but I would keep the bell pepper – orange, red or yellow – avoiding the green like a plague as it creates hell in my digestive system.

Leftovers were enjoyed by yours truly over shirataki noodles, for a low carb lunch that was exactly what I needed to keep me going…

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CITRUS AND HERBS ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS

Two types of citric fruits, loads of herbs, fingerling potatoes, all slow-roasting together… Great dinner, fit for company if you so desire…

CITRUS AND HERBS ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

8 chicken things, bone-in, skin-on
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 whole lemons, one juiced and one sliced
2 whole oranges, one juiced and one sliced
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 to 2 tsp salt
fingerling potatoes, cut in half

In a small bowl, make the marinade by whisking the oil with sugar, juice of lemon and orange, herbs, and 1 tsp of salt. Place the chicken thighs in a large bag or shallow dish, and pour the marinade all over. Leave it in the fridge for several hours.

Heat oven to 350F. Place chicken pieces in a large baking dish, skin side down. Pour the whole marinade over the pieces. Season the chicken with the remaining teaspoon of salt. Add pieces of fingerling potatoes all around the chicken, and the thin slices of orange and lemon all over them.

Bake covered with aluminum foil for about 1 hour. Remove foil, flip the pieces and increase the temperature to 425F. Roast for another 20 minutes or until the skin is golden brown. If desired, run it under the broiler for a couple of minutes, I did not have to do that.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Sometimes it is not easy to get intense flavor on roast chicken when you use a marinade, but this one did a very good job. I am partial to a two-stage roasting, first being gentle and then finalizing with high heat, because to me that produces the best possible texture in the meat and at the same time crispy skin. The fingerling potatoes turn it into a pretty complete meal, although if you are super hungry, couscous could go pretty well as a side dish.

These days, with temperatures getting higher and higher – just the way I love – I am partial to a simple refreshing salad. In this case, lettuce, grape tomatoes, and hard-boiled eggs. A lemony vinaigrette, and that was all…

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LOW-CARB SUPER FAST CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

Air-fryer to the rescue again… I will give you pretty loose instructions, because how you make it will depend on your carb goals. If you want to do close to zero carbs, omit the bread crumbs. The texture will suffer a bit, but it will still work. If you want to do moderate carbs, use the mixture I did. I am quite surprised by how much I liked the texture of the meat, and the fact that frying the chicken breast on the stove top before baking was not needed at all. A leap of faith was needed for me to try it the first time. I’ve made it three times ever since.

LOW-CARB AIR-FRYED CHICKEN PARMIGIANA
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, lightly seasoned with salt
2 eggs, whisked with a teaspoon of water, salt and Herbes de Provence to taste
50:50 mixture of bread crumbs and almond flour
(lower carb alternative 50:50 mixture of almond flour + finely grated Parmigiano cheese)
tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese

Dip the chicken breasts in the seasoned whisked egg mixture, coat both sides with your choice of “breading.” Spray the basket of the air-fryer with a little olive oil. Carefully place the pieces of meat side by side in the basket. Turn the air-fryer to 390F and cook for 10 minutes. If you are using very large breasts, cook for 12 minutes, but the recipe works best with smallish pieces of meat.

Gently flip the meat over, add tomato sauce and cheese. Air-fry for 6 additional minutes. Remove the meat and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: There are three little issues that might annoy you with this method. You know I never lie…

First: if you go real low in carbs, the coating is on the soft side. It will be very hard to flip the chicken piece without losing part of it to the basket. Even with the bread crumbs a little bit is lost. I am not sure if the flipping of the piece is necessary, and intend to try without doing it next time.

Second: it makes a bit of a mess in the basket once the cheese melts. I am a neat-freak and that means I spend quite a bit of time cleaning it up and inspecting every little corner. It still does not prevent me from making it, but keep that in mind and don’t get mad at me…

Third: if you have a smallish air-fryer like I do, you can only do two pieces of chicken at a time. It turns out that when I make this, I do the regular kind (stove-top, fried then baked) for the husband, and this lower-carb version for me. But if you are feeding a family of four, this is not a good option.

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LEMONY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH ARTICHOKES AND OLIVES

This was the first meal I cooked the day after we arrived from a wonderful trip to Lake Tahoe. Got together with stepson and soon-to-be daughter-in-law, went skiing, and relaxed. Celebrated both our wedding anniversary and my Birthday: one more revolution around the sun successfully completed by yours truly. We landed late and arrived home around 1am. Next day brought that daze that often happens after trips. So I wanted something simple to put together, but with a hint of celebration, because nothing beats having a home to come back to. When so many in our world are denied such basic right, forced to leave it all behind or face certain death.

LEMONY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH ARTICHOKE HEARTS AND OLIVES
(adapted from many sources)

8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
juice and zest of one lemon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp Rose Harissa (I used this one)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vermouth
frozen artichoke hearts, amount to taste
pitted green olives, amount to taste
1 tablespoon capers

Make a marinade with the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, vermouth and spices. Whisk well or add to a small processor to emulsify. Add to the chicken pieces and leave it in the fridge for a few hours, if you have the time.

Heat oven to 350F. Place the chicken pieces, skin-side down on a large baking pan. Pour the marinade over. Add the artichoke hearts, olives and capers all around. Season lightly the meat with salt. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes.

Remove the foil, turn the pieces over, to have the skin-side up. Bake for 20 more minutes at the same temperature, then increase to 420F and bake until the skin is golden brown.

Serve with your favorite side dish.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: My main advice is to load it with frozen artichoke hearts, keep in mind there is no need to thaw them. They will shrink considerably, so don’t be afraid to pack the baking dish to the limit. The liquid that forms during baking is absolutely delicious. If you don’t have vermouth, use any dry white wine, or if you prefer, some chicken stock, but the acidity of the wine helps to brighten up the flavors. If you don’t have rose harissa powder, use any hot condiment you like (smoked paprika, a little Sriracha or Gochujang).

We enjoyed it with green beans and almonds, but some white rice or couscous would go well too. Apparently it is considered rude to keep going back to the dish and mindlessly pick all the artichoke hearts until there is none left. I don’t know who makes these rules, but clearly “I” was not consulted.

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