Chicken and Lentils

This North African-inspired one-pot dish is a delightful blend of flavors, combining tender, succulent chicken with aromatic spices and hearty lentils. The recipe can also be adapted to use chickpeas instead of lentils, providing a slightly different yet equally delicious variation. While the dish takes about an hour to prepare, most of the cooking time is unattended, making it a perfect choice for a flavorful and satisfying meal with minimal effort.

MAKES: 4 servings

TIME: 1 hour, largely unattended

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 8 pieces, or any combination of parts
• 1 large or 2 medium onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped or grated fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup chopped tomato (canned is fine; include the juices)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh cilantro or parsley sprigs, tied together with kitchen string
• Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 1 cup dried brown or green lentils, washed and picked over

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put the oil in a deep skillet with a lid or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. When hot, add the chicken, skin side down, and brown it well, rotating and turning the pieces as necessary. This process will take 10 to 15 minutes. (You can skip this step if you like, as noted on page 649; heat a tablespoon of oil and go directly to cooking the onions.)
3. Once the chicken is nicely browned, remove it from the skillet and turn the heat down to medium.
4. Pour or spoon off all but a tablespoon of the oil and stir in the onions, garlic, ginger, tomato, coriander, and some salt and pepper.
5. Add 4 cups of water, along with the cilantro or parsley bundle and cinnamon sticks. Also, add the dried lentils to the mixture.
6. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently but steadily, then cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are almost tender.
7. Discard the herb bundle and cinnamon sticks and return the chicken to the pan, skin side up.
8. Cover and continue to let the mixture bubble gently until the chicken is cooked through, which should take another 10 to 20 minutes. You can check the chicken’s doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh; it should read 155–165°F.
9. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve. If desired, you can let the dish sit for a few hours or refrigerate it for up to a day before reheating and serving. You may need to add a little water to thin the sauce if it thickens too much.

VARIATION:

Braised Chicken and Chickpeas: If you prefer using chickpeas, start with dried chickpeas. Cook the chickpeas until they are just barely tender, ready to be salted. You’ll need about 2 cups of cooked chickpeas (and a little of their cooking liquid) to replace the lentils in this recipe. Save the remaining chickpeas and their liquid for another use, as they’ll add a delightful taste and texture to future dishes.