Stewed Chickpeas with Chicken
With its Spanish/North African seasonings, this is an exotic but simple stew. It also can be made, and quite flavorfully, without the chicken—see the first variation. Other beans you can use: fava or lima beans.
Ingredients:
- cooked or canned chickpeas, drained - 4 cups
- bean-cooking liquid, stock , or water - 2 cups
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper -
- neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn - 1 tablespoon
- chicken parts, preferably leg-thigh pieces separated at the joint, skin removed if desire - 2 to 3 pounds
- large onion, chopped - 1
- celery stalk, chopped - 1
- carrot, chopped - 1
- minced garlic - 1 tablespoon
- minced fresh ginger - 1 tablespoon
- ground coriander - 1 tablespoon
- tomato (canned is fine; include the juices) - 2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped
- Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley leaves for garnish -
- ground cumin - 2 teaspoons
Instructions:
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Warm the beans in a large pot with the liquid; add salt and pepper. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles very slowly.
- Put the oil in a large, deep skillet over mediumhigh heat. Brown the chicken well on all sides, about 15 minutes; season with salt and pepper, transfer the chicken to a roasting pan, and put in the oven.
- Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat remaining in the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion, celery, and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, and tomato and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. Add the mixture to the simmering beans.
- When the chicken has cooked for about 15 minutes, check for doneness (the juices will run clear if you make a small cut in the meat near the bone). When it is ready, remove it from the oven. When the vegetables are tender, put the chickpeas and the vegetables on a large, deep platter; top with the chicken, garnish, and serve.
- Stewed Chickpeas with Vegetables. Omit the chicken. In Step 2, sauté 3 cups cubed, salted eggplant or zucchini in 1/4 cup olive oil until tender, 15 to 30 minutes. Remove and proceed to Step 3. Combine the chickpeas and their seasonings with the eggplant and/or zucchini and roast for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbly and the top begins to brown. Garnish and serve.