Spring Chicken

This is probably the meat protein you most want to avoid in supermarkets not just because of the abominable way chickens are raised and how some are dipped in poison to kill their bacteria before being shipped. Also because some "organic" and "free range" certifications are fake news. All this scamming may be because chicken is the most consumed meat protein in the world. Knowing this, you can safely and happily indulge. Just trust your local farmer at the local farmers' market, pay the price for the real deal and make chicken a special occasion food. Here are a few fuss free ways the world does that:

Five Spice Whole Roasted Chicken

Five spice powder is Chinese, from the western provinces where food tends to be "tasty." The five spices are cinnamon, star anise (local), fennel seed, cloves and Szechuan peppercorns (another local product).
How many servings you get depends on the size of the chicken and the portions.  Here a 3 lb chicken will serve 3, maybe 4. (I was taught to measure 1 lb of meat with bones per person, but that can be a large portion.)

2 tsp five-spice powder
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp dried tarragon leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil (a little extra won't hurt)
1 whole 3 lb chicken (you can go larger, just up the spices accordingly)
Sea salt to taste
1 c chicken broth/stock

Mix all the spices and herbs with the olive oil to make a paste. Rub this inside and outside of the chicken, coating it as thoroughly as you can. Loosely wrap it and refrigerate overnight or a full 24 hours or in between.

Preheat oven to 400º. Bring chicken to room temperature and rub with salt. Put it in a pan with a rack that keeps it off the bottom and roast in the middle of the oven 45 min. Occasionally baste it with juices that accumulate on the bottom. Remove from oven and rest 15 minutes. Remove chicken to a platter and cut into desired portions.

Skim off the fat in the pan and stir in chicken stock. Cook this on top of the stove over high heat to reduce liquid and thicken it. Serve this as gravy for the chicken.

Persian Whole Roasted Chicken with Dried Fruits

not my photo so lemons not limes

This is a more glamorous way to go. The dried fruits keep the chicken very moist and succulent. Steamed basmati rice is the perfect accompaniment. A crunchy green salad unites everything into a vivid, healthy meal.
serves 8

2 fresh whole chickens, about 4 lbs each
1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 lg garlic cloves, minced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 c pitted prunes, finely chopped
1/2 c dried apricots, finely chopped 
1/4 c dried currants steeped in hot water with a dash of rosewater 10 min then drained
1/2 c shelled pistachios
1" ginger root, grated
1 sm orange, zest only
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 c fresh orange juice
1 lime, in wedges for serving

Preheat oven to 350º.
Rinse and dry chicken. Remove excess fat and giblets.

In a nonstick skillet, heat oil. Add onion and garlic and over med/low heat sauté until soft, 3-5 min.

Add the apple, prunes, apricots, currants, ginger root, pistachios and orange zest. Season with salt (carefully if the pistachios are already salted), freshly ground black pepper and the spices. Stir and sauté 1 min. Remove from heat. Cool.
 
Stuff the chickens with the dried fruit mixture and try to close the cavity with poultry pins or by twining the legs together. Rub the chicken with butter and sprinkle with salt. Lightly oil or butter a roasting pan and center the chicken in it. Pour over the orange juice. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake 75-80 min until chickens are very tender.
 
Uncover the pan, baste the chickens and then remove the syrupy juice from the pan as much as you can. If you have a freezer jar put it in there and put the jar in the freezer 10 minutes. This will cause the fat to rise so you can remove it easily and quickly. Meanwhile put the chicken back in the oven uncovered until the skin is browned, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let it rest 10 minutes before cutting. While it does, put the jellied juices in a small saucepan, heat into gravy. If it is too thick add a bit of water.
 
Serve the chicken portions garnished with lime wedges and pass the sauce in a gravy boat.

Indian Cardamom Spiced Stewed Chicken
This recipe uses only thighs and the stove top as well as the oven. Still it's relatively simple step by step. The ingredients list is long because this recipe is all about the spices. The coconut milk base gives the stew a summery, tropical touch. Serve with basmati rice and a cucumber/tomato salad for ultimate color.
serves 6
 
1 tbsp cumin seed
1 tbsp coriander seed
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground turmeric 
2 tbsp cardamom seeds (out of the pod)or 1 tbsp ground cardamom
1 tbsp salt 
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
12 chicken thighs
1/4 c corn, canola, mustard or other vegetable oil
2 onions, peeled and very thinly sliced in disks
2 cinnamon sticks
15 whole cloves
5 lg garlic cloves, smashed and minced 
3" fresh ginger root, peeled, grated or minced
1 Serrano chili pepper, seeded and minced
3 boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 c chicken broth
2 c coconut milk (canned)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 lg lime, juice only


Preheat oven to 350º. 
In a small sauté pan/skillet, over med heat, toast the cumin, coriander, chili powder and turmeric stirring and shaking the pan until they are toasted, 2-3 min. Cool and grind in a coffee grinder.
 
Grind the cardamom seeds if you are not using pre-ground. Combine cardamom with 1 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp ground black pepper. Spread this over the chicken thighs.
 
In a large skillet/sauté pan, over med/high, heat the oil. Add chicken skin down and sauté until skin is brown, 5-6 min. Flip with tongs and cook 2 min more. Remove from pan and put in a large ovenproof casserole. Put the onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and chili pepper in the pan. Sauté stirring until the onions are soft and transparent, 5-7 min. Pour this over the chicken in the casserole.
 
Add the potatoes, chicken broth and coconut milk to the casserole, stirring to blend. Bake 40-60 min, until the chicken thighs are totally cooked and soft. (Test to see if the juices run clear and not red) Remove the casserole from the oven, stir in the toasted spices, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Palestinian Za'atar Chicken with Tabbouleh

not my photo

This is roasted chicken quarters with a tabbouleh NOT made of bulghur but of pearl couscous, called maftoul, or the best substitute, fregola, the toasted Sardinian pasta more commonly sold in bags. They make a heartier tabbouleh that is more vegetable like. But essentially tabbouleh is a parsley salad, very green, which makes this a lovely spring chicken dish!

Serves 4

4 large chicken legs and thighs in one piece)

Olive oil
3 tbsp dried mint
5 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp dried red chili flakes
4 tbsp za’atar
1 tbsp flaky salt

For the tabbouleh
2 c maftoul (also known as pearl couscous) or fregola (Italian roasted pasta balls)
3 c water
4 tomatoes
1 bunch of scallions
Large bunch flat-leaf parsley

 2-3 lemons, juice only
1 tbsp salt
Olive oil

To serve (don't worry if you can no longer find pomegranates)
1 pomegranate, seeded
1 red chilli, sliced

Preheat the oven to 400º.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay out the chicken pieces on it.

Combine the olive oil, mint, pomegranate molasses, chili flakes, za’atar and salt.  Season both sides of the chicken with this mix. End up skin side down and roast in the oven rabout 12 minutes.

 While the chicken cooks, prepare the maftoul or fregola by package instructions until it has just passed the al dente stage. Remove and rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.

While it cooks, chop tomatoes and spring onions into small, equal-size pieces. Finely chop the parsley.

Once the chicken has browned slightly, turn it over and cook skin side up another 10- 12 minutes until it’s thoroughly cooked. If you want to add more mint and za’aatar, do so at the flip.

In a large bowl, mix the maftoul/fregola with the chopped tomato, scallions and parsley. Add the lemon juice, salt and olive oil to taste. This salad should be sharp and tangy to contrast with the creaminess of the pasta, and there should be plenty of parsley mixed through – it is essentially a parsley salad. Transfer to a deep dish and set aside.

 When the chicken is cooked, place it on top of the tabbouleh and drizzle some of the cooking juices over. Serve sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and the sliced chili.

Nepalese Chicken Curry 

This easy cut up chicken dish captured the readers of ZEST magazine when published in a story about my Himalayan cooking exploits. It's THE go-to meal in Nepal. And why not: It's easy, tasty and festive. Typically it is served with mounds of basmati rice and several green vegetables. I may have posted it before.

Serves 6 regular portions or 8 small ones

4 large chicken quarters (4 pounds), skinned as much as you can and cut into 3” pieces (this is larger than bite-sized)

¼ c vegetable oil

1 dried Arbol or other thin red chili, whole

1 large red onion, peeled and diced

8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed into a paste with the ginger, or smashed and minced

2“ fresh ginger, peeled, smashed and minced into a paste with the garlic, or grated

2 tbsp ground cumin*

1 tbsp ground coriander*

2 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp salt

2 tomatoes, diced (do not substitute canned or boxed: too juicy)

1 small fresh green chili pepper (e.g. Serrano, jalapeño), minced

1/2 cup chicken stock or water

½ bunch fresh cilantro, leaves stripped from the stems and minced 

*Grinding the seeds definitely enhances the flavor

Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with the vegetable oil, get it hot on medium flame, then fry the dried pepper for a minute to flavor the oil. Add the onion, stirring to blend into the oil and sauté 3 minutes to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander and cumin. Stir and continue to sauté about a minute to brown this mixture.

Stir in the turmeric. Add the chicken pieces and blend. Add 3 tbsp of water or chicken stock and raise the heat to high. For 5 minutes, constantly stir the chicken so it doesn’t burn, scrapping up any brown scraps that stick to the bottom of the pan, to obtain full flavor.

Lower heat to medium. Add the tomatoes, minced green chili, salt, 2 tbsp of water or chicken stock. Cook 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom and burns.  Add 2 tbsp of water or chicken stock if the pan is drying out. Add a handful of chopped cilantro and blend. Cook 5 more minutes, adding water or stock a tbsp. at a time if the chicken doesn’t have enough sauce for your taste. Check salt and chili flavor and adjust to your taste, using ground chili powder.

Put the contents of the pot into a shallow serving bowl or high-sided platter. Garnish with the rest of the chopped cilantro. Serve with rice, your favorite chutney (which can be cranberry), and braised greens (e.g. mustard, collard, kale), steamed fresh peas with dill or garlic sautéed green beans.

Slow Cooked Chicken with Bucatini (spaghetti like pasta) and Garlic

If you can't find bucatini, use spaghetti. This dish is interesting in that you keep cooking the pasta long after you've boiled it to al dente. This recipe comes from Yotam Ottolenghi in London and the photo is his dish.

Serves four generously.

8 large chicken thighs, skin on and bone in (about 3 lbs)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp hot paprika
1½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground turmeric
Salt

1 tbsp olive oil
15 garlic cloves, peeled
2 beef tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 tbsp lemon juice
¾ lb (12 oz) bucatini
½ c flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Put the chicken in a large bowl with the oil, paprika, allspice, turmeric and 1 tsp of salt. Toss to coat, then marinate 10 minutes.

Put a large, heavy and lidded casserole over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Place the chicken in it skin side down and fry 10 minutes turning regularly until it’s golden brown all over. Reduce heat to low. Add the whole garlic cloves, tomatoes, lemon juice and 2 tbsp water. Cover simmer 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

About 30 minutes after you started the chicken, fill a large pot with water, salt it very generously and over high heat bring to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and return to the pot.

Once the chicken is cooked transfer it and the garlic cloves to a plate. Pour the remaining contents of the casserole over the pasta and toss to combine. Arrange the chicken on the bottom of the casserole skin side down and lay the soft garlic in between. Pour all the pasta and cooking juices on top, cover the pot and simmer on low heat 45 minutes.

Transfer the pasta to a shallow serving bowl. Stir in the parsley. Arrange the chicken on top, skin side up (some of the skin may have stuck to the base of the pan, but don’t worry). Pour over the garlic and cooking juices, Serve at once. I suggest with a chopped fennel and red onion salad.