Chicken and Lentils

A simple, spicy, North African–style dish made in one pot. Using chickpeas (see the variation) is a little more work but worth the effort when you have some extra time. Serve this with rice, warmed pitas, or any crusty loaf.

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

• Put the oil in a deep skillet with a lid or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken, skin side down, and brown it well, rotating and turning the pieces as necessary; the process will take 10 to 15 minutes. (You can skip this step if you like ; heat a tablespoon of oil and go directly to cooking the onions.)
• When the chicken is nicely browned, remove it from the skillet and turn the heat down to medium. Pour or spoon off all but a tablespoon of the oil. Stir in the onions, garlic, ginger, tomato, coriander, and some salt and pepper. Add 4 cups water, along with the cilantro or parsley bundle, cinnamon sticks, and lentils. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently but steadily, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are almost tender.
• Discard the herb bundle and cinnamon sticks and return the return the chicken to the pan, skin side up.
• Cover and continue to let the mixture bubble gently until the chicken is cooked through, another 10 to 20 minutes; the chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 155–165 F. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve. (At this point, you may let the dish sit for a few hours or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before reheating and serving; you may have to add a little water to thin the sauce a bit.)

Braised Chicken and Chickpeas.
• If you must, use canned, though it’s so much better (and not that much work) to start with dried: Follow the method for cooking beans on page 411, cooking the chickpeas to the point where they would be ready to salt—just barely tender. Use about 2 cups cooked chickpeas (and a little of their cooking liquid) instead of the lentils in this recipe; save the rest (and their liquid) for another use.

MAKES: 4 servings

TIME: 1 hour, largely unattended