More Spring Chicken

Spring chicken was such a popular post, I'm adding to it. Just be sure you have a nontoxic bird in hand. Given all the mislabeling, lack of regulations and inspections and global processing, your local farmer is the safest bet.

Spanish Saffron Almond Chicken

not my photo

This is fairly typical Catalan homecooking, a quick, tasty dish flavored with garlic, saffron and toasted almonds. Plus yesterday's bread chopped up to thicken the sauce. (I just made this and it was delicious but my photos were terrible.)
serves 4

4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c slivered almonds
2 c crustless bread in cubes or raw marcona almonds
4 lg garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 c chicken broth
2/3 c dry Sherry
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp saffron threads
4 chicken quarters, leg and thigh
1 onion, minced
chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

In a large heavy lidded skillet or pan, heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the slivered almonds and sauté until golden, 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel. 

Add the bread cubes or raw almonds and garlic cloves to the pan. Stirring, sauté until golden brown and crisp, 4-5 min. With a slotted spoon transfer the bread/almonds to a blender or food processor. Add half the slivered almonds if you are using bread. Add chicken broth, sherry, lots of freshly ground black pepper, saffron and a salt to your taste. Process into a smooth sauce.

 Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan/skillet. Over medium high heat, brown the chicken on both sides, 12-15 min. Lower heat if necessary to prevent burning. Add the onions to the pan and try to get them on the bottom so they brown. Cook 5-6 minutes more to brown them. Pour in the sauce, smothering the chicken. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer so you see tiny bubbles. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low and cook 20 min until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

To serve: plate the chicken, top with the slivered almonds, chopped parsley and a spoonful of the sauce.


Circassian Chicken

not my photo

This chicken walnut dish from the Caucuses has variations but I'm partial to chopping up the chicken to make a nicer more portable presentation perfect for potlucks, picnics and parties.  if you want to mold this like "paté" just put the chicken in the food processor with the pita and walnuts. Serve warm or room temperature.

One 4 lb chicken, quartered

1 onion, halved

4 allspice berries or 1 tsp ground allspice

4 whole cloves

4 black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

1 tsp coriander seeds

Water

Salt to your taste

1 pita bread, torn into pieces

1/2 c milk or half-and-half

2 cups walnuts (6-7 ounces)

2 garlic cloves, smashed

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leaves

1 tsp ground Turkish red pepper, such as Aleppo or Urfa or ½ tsp chili powder

   

Put the chicken in a large soup pot. Add the onion, allspice, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves and coriander seeds. Add enough water to cover the chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer until the chicken is tender, 30-40 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and when it is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and pull the meat off the bones in shreds. Put the shredded chicken in a large bowl.

   

Strain the fragrant chicken broth and transfer 3 cups to a small saucepan. Boil until it’s reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Season with salt to your taste.

In a small bowl, sink the pita in the milk and mash it down until it is completely soaked. Transfer the pita to a food processor. Add the walnuts and garlic and process to a thick paste. While the machine is on, slowly pour in a thin stream about 1 cup of the reduced chicken broth until a sauce as thick as Greek yogurt forms; add more broth if necessary. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Fold half the walnut sauce into the bowl with the chicken. Add the cilantro and half the ground red pepper. Mound the chicken on a plate, sprinkle the remaining Turkish red pepper all over and spread half the remaining sauce on top.  Garnish with a few whole walnuts and pass the extra walnut sauce at the table.

It isn’t authentically Circassian but you could but the chicken on a bed of arugula for a dazzling presentation.

Omani Chicken Qabooli (pilaf)

not my photo so it may look different

This is a dazzlingly fragrant dish rich with cardamom, saffron and raisins soaked in rose water. 

serves 4 

3 cups rice
1 whole medium chicken (medium)
½ cup raisins (washed and soaked)
½ cup cooked chickpeas
1 Cinnamon stick

4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
3 cloves

5 whole black pepper corns

pinch of saffron dissolved in 1 tbsp rose water
¼ cup ghee
Salt to taste

Wash, then soak the rice in salted water.
Clean the chicken and cut into pieces.
Boil chicken in 8 cups of water with the spices and salt, removing foam as it appears. Cook until chicken is tender. Remove chicken, strain broth and return to the heat. Add enough water to have eight cups again and bring to boil. Add the rice and cook it halfway, about 8 minutes. Drain.
In a large skillet coated with the ghee, sauté chickpeas and raisin over medium heat until soft and slightly brown. Remove and keep aside. Place the chicken pieces in the same cooking pot to brown. If it sticks, add a bit more ghee or oil. Add boiled rice. Sprinkle with saffron rose water. Stir in chickpeas and raisins.
Simmer 15 minutes.

Indian Butter Chicken

not my photo

This is a Westerner's favorite form of Indian food. It's served of course with steaming basmati rice and a fruit chutney. You can add steamed greens or saag paneer to round out the meal.

serves 6

1 1/2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp ground turmeric

2 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp ground cumin

3 lbs chicken thighs, on the bone

1/4 lb unsalted butter

4 tsp neutral oil, like vegetable or canola oil

2 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

4" fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely diced

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick

2 medium-size tomatoes, diced

2 red chilies, like Anaheim, or 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced

Kosher salt to taste

2/3 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 cups cream

1 1/2 tsp tomato paste

3 tbsp ground almonds, or finely chopped almonds

1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, stems removed.

Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala and cumin in a large bowl. Put the chicken in, and coat with the marinade. Cover, and refrigerate10-24 hrs.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil until it starts to foam. Add the onions, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add garlic, ginger and cumin seeds, and cook until  onions start to brown. Add cinnamon stick, tomatoes, chilies and salt, and cook until the chiles are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken and marinade to the pan, and cook 5 minutes. Add  chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes more or less. Stir in the cream and tomato paste, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Add the almonds. Cook 5 more minutes, then remove from the heat. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Moroccan chicken salad with green olives
This is not the ordinary chicken salad of deli sandwiches. It's a tagine variation (meat and fruits together) that's a wonderful warm weather luncheon dish served with crusty bread and sliced tomatoes.

serves 4
1 lb chicken breast meat, poached, skinned, boned and cut into 1" cubes
1 tbsp freshly aqueeze lemon juice
4 scallions, cleaned and diced
12 lg green olives, pitted is helpful
12 dried prunes, pitted
1/4 c toasted almonds
6 dried apricots, halved
1 sm carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp cumin seed, toasted is best
2 tbsp white raisins plumped in 1 tsp rosewater 

Soak the chicken in the lemon juice 30 min. Drain
Combine everything in a serving bowl and mix it up. 

Dressing
4 oz lemon yogurt
pinch of ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp lemon zest
pinch sea salt

Whisk all ingredients together and blend into the chicken salad.
Garnish with chopped fresh cilanto leaves.

Afghani Chicken in Yogurt

This is a qorma lawand, a fragrant Afghan curry thickened by nuts, made creamy by yogurt that's naturally sweetened by carrots (native to Afghanistan) and raisins.

serves 4-6

1/2 cup almonds

4 garlic cloves

2" fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced

1/2 c water or chicken broth if you prefer

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (breast meat won't be as tasty or tender)

1/4 ghee or unsalted butter

2 tsp ground turmeric

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground nutmeg

2 yellow onions thinly sliced

1 Serrano pepper, seeded and minced (2 if you like hot food)

2 med carrots, peeled and sliced in thin disks

1/3 cup dark raisins

1 heaping cup plain thick yogurt

salt and black pepper to your taste

1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro leaves

In a food processor purée the nuts, garlic, ginger and water.

Put this into a large bowl.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, stir into the marinade.

Marinate at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Melt the ghee in a large heavy gauge lidded casserole over medium heat. Add the spices and sauté about 30 seconds until they are fragrant but not brown. Stir in the onions and chili pepper. Sauté until the onions are soft and starting to brown, maybe 7 minutes.

Stir the chicken into the pot with all its marinade. Simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Stir in the carrots and raisins and yogurt, blending everything. Add 1/2 c water or chicken broth to make gravy. Bring to a boil,then reduce heat to low simmer, cover the pot and simmer 40 minutes, adding water or broth if the dish seems to be drying out. Most important: keep heat low to avoid curdling the yogurt.

Serve with the chopped cilantro on top as garnish. Serve with rice, roasted potatoes or naan and perhaps a simple spinach salad.