Baked Chicken Parmesan

When we were kids, my mother used to make a broiled chicken dish which we called Chicken Parmesan. It was so good, we would fight over the drippings. Then my mother gave up wheat for 20 years and the recipe is lost somewhere in the deep storage of her mind, currently unaccessible. (By the way, this is the main reason I put recipes on the web, they don’t get lost or forgotten!)

We had a hankering for Parmesan chicken the other night so I hit the recipe books and Epicurious and came up with something really quite good. Not as drop-dead delicious as mom’s, and the reason why? Mom remembered as we were eating that she used to dip every piece of chicken in melted butter before rolling it in the breadcrumb/Parmesan mixture. Well no wonder we were fighting over the drippings! You can do the same, if you really want a treat. This recipe doesn’t do that, but if you want, just substitute the vinegar for melted butter and then add some more butter to the coating liquid.

Baked Chicken Parmesan Recipe :

• Yield: Serves 4.

Parmesan chicken is traditionally made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. We use breasts, but thighs too, if we are starting with a whole chicken.

 

Ingredients of Baked Chicken Parmesan :
Sauce:

• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (we use Muir-Glen)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and ground black pepper

Chicken:

• 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp white-wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 (5-oz) skinless boneless chicken breast halves (or deboned thighs)
• 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs (we make our breadcrumbs from old French bread)
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Method:

 

1 Prepare the sauce. In a large saucepan, heat the garlic and oil together over medium high heat until the garlic starts to sizzle. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until sauce thickens a bit and flavors meld, about 10-12 minutes. Taste sauce, adjust seasoning if necessary, cover and keep warm.

2 Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut each chicken breast half in half for smaller pieces. With a meat pounder, pound the chicken pieces to flatten them to an even thickness - between 1/4 - 1/2 inch. You might find it easier to put the chicken between layers of plastic wrap before pounding.

3 Whisk together mustard, vinegar, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl, add the chicken pieces, tossing to coat well.

4 In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, grated cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix well and add in the melted butter. Transfer to a shallow plate. Dredge the chicken pieces 1 piece at a time in the crumb mixture, coating completely. Press the crumbs in gently to adhere and transfer to a stick-free baking sheet. Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Serve with a side of rice or pasta. Ladle sauce over the chicken.

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Avgolemono Soup Recipe

The mixture of eggs, lemon and hot broth is a classic combination in Greek cooking. And if there is a classic dish that highlights this combination, it is the chickeny avgolemono soup. Avgo-wha? Ah-vo-LEMEN-o, or at least that’s how I remember the Greeks at the local diner in New Jersey saying it. The “g” isn’t always pronounced.


Like gumbo, goulash or chili, there are untold versions of this soup. Some, like this one, have bits of chicken in them. Some start with a whole chicken and take hours. A few have nothing more than chicken broth and the egg-lemon sauce. Most, however, have a starch such as rice or orzo pasta.

The key to avgolemono is the egg-lemon sauce. It is what make this version of chicken soup special. What starts as a pretty ordinary mix of chicken, onions, pasta and broth becomes silky, tangy and unforgettable.

This is a weeknight version of avgolemono, one you can whip together in less than 30 minutes; some versions take all day. The only tricky part of this whole recipe is when you add the egg-lemon mixture: You need to temper the eggs so they don’t scramble when you add them to the hot broth. But this is not rocket science, and if you can whisk with one hand and pour with the other you are good to go. And if you can’t? Find a helper. Kids love to help cooking, so maybe ask your daughter or son to whisk while you pour. Or vice versa.

One thing about this soup: Never let it boil once you’ve added the egg-lemon mixture. The soup can break and you essentially get a Greek version of egg drop soup. Still edible, but ugly. Same goes for reheating leftovers: Do it gently, and don’t let the soup boil.

Avgolemono Soup Recipe :

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6-8

Either rice or orzo pasta are fine here, so use whichever you prefer. And be sure to dice the chicken breast pretty small -- about 1/4 inch cubes -- so the meat cooks through in just a few minutes.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 5 cups chicken stock, plus 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup orzo or rice
• 1 pound skinless chicken breast, diced
• Salt
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3 eggs
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Method :

 

1 Heat the olive oil in a medium pot and saute the onions over medium-high heat until they are soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. While the onions are cooking, bring another pot of salted water to a boil and add the orzo or rice.

2 When the onions are ready, add the chicken stock and water and bring to a bare simmer. When the orzo or rice is nearly done — firm, but mostly cooked — drain the boiling water and add the pasta or rice to the chicken broth. Add the diced chicken breast to the pot. Let this cook 5-8 minutes, then taste the soup for salt.

3 Beat the eggs in a bowl. Whisking constantly, add the lemon juice to the eggs. You will need to temper the eggs before you add the egg-lemon mixture to the soup. It takes both hands to do this. With one hand, whisk the egg-lemon mixture vigorously. With the other, slowly pour in a ladle's worth of hot broth. Do this at least twice, and you can add as many ladle's worth of broth as you want to the mixture.

4 Turn the heat off the soup. Whisk the soup with one hand while you pour the hot egg-lemon mixture in with the other. Serve at once, garnished with parsley.

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Apricot Chicken Recipe

Every year about this time we are inundated with fresh apricots from our neighbor’s tree. And every year I tell myself I’m going to make a chicken dish with them, but never get around to it. Instead, we’ll make apricot jam, apricot cobbler, apricot tart, or just eat them straight. Finally this year, we’ve experimented with apricot chicken and I’m quite please with the results. The additions of rosemary, Tabasco, and especially cinnamon really brighten up the flavors and make the dish more interesting than you would expect. We served it over rice, but it would be also pretty good with some egg noodles.

Apricot Chicken Recipe :
Yield: Serves 6.

If you don't have fresh apricots, you can use a combo of dried pitted apricots and apricot jam. Chop up about a dozen dried apricots and add them, with a half cup of apricot jam, to the stock in step 4 (skipping steps 1 and 5).

 

Ingredients :

• 1 1/2 pounds apricots, roughly chopped, pits removed and discarded
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces
• Salt
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (can sub olive oil)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cups chicken stock or broth (use gluten-free stock if you are cooking gluten-free)
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Tabasco or other hot sauce (you can add more if you like)
• Black pepper

Method :

 

1 Place the chopped apricots in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and the vinegar. Let sit while you brown the chicken in the next step.

2 In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, place chicken pieces in the pan, without crowding the pan, and brown them on each side. As the chicken cooks, sprinkle salt over it. Once the chicken is browned, remove the pieces from the pan to a bowl and set aside.

3 Add the remaining oil to the pan and sauté the onion until it begins to brown. As the onion cooks and releases moisture, use a flat edged spatula or wooden spoon to scrape off the browned bits from the chicken (called fond) from the bottom of the pan.

4 Once the onions have browned a bit, add the chicken stock and lower the heat to medium.

5 Put about 2/3 of the apricots, along with any juice they have given up, into a blender and blend into a purée. Pour the purée into the pan with the chicken stock and onions.

6 Add the cinnamon, rosemary and Tabasco and taste. You may need to add some salt. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and gently simmer for 10-20 minutes.

7 When you are ready to serve, put the chicken and the remaining apricot pieces into the pan and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Serve hot with rice.

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Apple Chicken Quesadilla

Quesadillas are typically made with just tortillas and cheese (in Mexico typically one would use corn tortillas, closer to the border flour tortillas are often used). I first started adding thin slices of apples to my quesadillas years ago. Apples and cheese naturally go well together in general, and they are just as good together in a quesadilla. Add a few strips of cooked chicken and a little salsa, and you have a perfect easy meal.

So for all you quesadilla-loving kids out there, here you go!

Apple Chicken Quesadilla Recipe :

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes Yield: Makes 12 quesadilla triangles

 

Ingredients:

• 4 Flour tortillas (approximately 8-inches wide)
• 1 cup cooked, shredded or chopped, chicken meat
• 1/4 lb cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, sliced or grated
• 1 apple, sliced
• 1/4 cup salsa

METHOD :
Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Place one tortilla in the skillet. Flip it a couple of times with a spatula, then let it sit in the pan heating up until air pockets form and parts of the tortilla begin to puff up. Flip it again.

Place cheese slices on half of the tortilla, at least 1/2-inch from the edge of the tortilla. Add chicken pieces on top of the cheese. Fold the tortilla over like an omelette, and press down on the folded tortilla with the spatula. Lower the heat to medium. At this point, if you have enough room in your skillet, you can add a second tortilla to the pan to begin to heat it up.

When the cheese inside the quesadilla has melted, remove the quesadilla to a cutting board. Open it wide and layer on apple slices and salsa. Fold the tortilla back again, and cut it into 3 triangles, as if you were cutting a pie. (You don't have to cut the quesadilla into triangles, it just makes it easier for kids to eat.).

Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

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Barbecued Chicken on the Grill

Along with hot dogs and hamburgers, barbecued chicken is about as classic as it gets when it comes time for grilling. But chicken takes longer to cook than either hot dogs or hamburgers, and loves lower cooking temperatures, so it’s easy to mess up, either under-cooking, over-charring, or both. The trick to good barbecued chicken? Patience. Done right, it will take at least an hour, and even up to 2 hours. Remember that barbecue is slow and low, grilling is hot and fast. You can grill a chicken breast, but chicken thighs, legs or wings are far better barbecued.

The key here is to moderate your heat, however you can. Either set the coals of the grill all on one side so you have a cool spot, put the chicken on the top rack of the grill, farther away from the heat, or, if you have a gas grill, just turn the heat to low. Slow and steady makes the best BBQ chicken.

Barbecued Chicken on the Grill Recipe :
Prep time: 5 minutes    Cook time: 1 hour, 45 minutes    Yield: Serves 4-6

Note that chicken thighs and legs will hold up better to long, slow heat than will breasts which can more easily dry out. If you barbecue breasts, keep them on the coolest part of the grill.
This recipe assumes fairly large chicken pieces (like the main pieces from a 4 to 5 pound whole chicken). If you are working with smaller chicken pieces, they may require a shorter cooking time. If you are cooking wings, they too may be done before the other larger pieces.
A note about the skin. Even if you do not plan on eating the chicken skin, it's best to barbecue it with it on. The skin will protect the chicken pieces from drying out.

Ingredients :

• 4 pounds of your favorite chicken parts (legs, thighs, wings, breasts), skin-on
• Salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 cup barbecue sauce, store-bought or homemade

Method :

1 Coat the chicken pieces with vegetable oil and sprinkle salt over them on all sides. Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. If you are using charcoal or wood, make sure there is a cool side to the grill where there are fewer coals.

2 Lay the chicken pieces skin side down on the hottest side of the grill in order to sear the skin side well. Grill for 5-10 minutes, depending on how hot the grill is (you do not want the chicken to burn). Once you have a good sear on one side, move the chicken pieces to the cooler side of the grill. If you are using a gas grill, maintain the flame on only one side of the grill, and move the chicken pieces to the cooler side, not directly over the flame. Reduce the temp to low or medium low (between 250°F and 275°F, no more than 300°F) Cover the grill and cook undisturbed for 20-30 minutes.

3 Turn the chicken pieces over and baste them with with your favorite barbecue sauce. Cover the grill again and allow to cook for another 15-20 minutes. Repeat, turning the chicken pieces over, basting them with sauce, covering, and cooking for another 10-30 minutes. NOTE that timing will depend on your grill set-up, the size of your chicken pieces, and how cold your chicken pieces are to start with! If you are grilling smaller pieces of chicken on a charcoal grill, they may be done much earlier. The goal is to maintain a low enough grill temp so that the chicken cooks "low and slow".

4 The chicken is done when you the internal temperature of the chicken pieces are 165°F for breasts and 170°F for thighs, which you test by using a meat thermometer. Or if you insert the tip of a knife into the middle of the thickest piece and the juices should run clear, the chicken is done. If the chicken isn't done, turn the pieces over and continue to cook at a low temperature. If you want can finish with a sear on the hot side of the grill. To do this, put the pieces, skin side down, on the hot side of the grill. Allow them to sear and blacken slightly for a minute or two.

5 Paint with more barbecue sauce and serve.

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Aida’s Coriander Chicken, Cilantro, and Chard Stew

Now here’s an oft neglected spice—coriander seeds, what you get when you let your cilantro plants go to seed. Although from the same plant as cilantro, the seeds have a distinctively different taste from the leaves. There’s just a hint of familiarity between them. This recipe, in which coriander is one of the star attractions, comes by way of my friend Aida Mollenkamp, author of the the highly instructive cookbook Keys to the Kitchen: The Essential Reference for Becoming a More Accomplished, Adventurous Cook. The recipe caught my eye because of its other ingredients—chicken, cilantro, and the princess of leafy greens, Swiss chard. The coriander? That was the wild card. But oh my oh my, I love it in this dish. According to Aida the stew has classical Middle Eastern flavors. This stew is seriously one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. What a delight to discover how well coriander can play with chicken and greens.

By the way, I highly recommend that you check out Aida’s book, especially if you are relatively new to cooking, or would just like to improve your cooking skills. The book is packed with useful diagrams, step-by-step techniques, and helpful cooking advice.

Aida’s Coriander Chicken, Cilantro, and Chard Stew Recipe :

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes Yield: Serves 6-8.

Ingredients :
Broth

• 10 cardamom pods (or 1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom seeds)
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 whole 4 lb (2 kg)chicken, cut into parts
• 9 cups water
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste

Stew

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp ground coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 4 cups roughly chopped cilantro, loosely packed (about 120 g)
• 4-5 cups broth (you will make this in the recipe)
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 pounds chard, ribs removed, leaves cut crosswise into 1 inch strips
• Salt

METHOD :

The Broth

If you are using cardamom pods, break them open in a mortar and pestle or with the handle of a chef's knife. Crack the black peppercorns as well. Put the crushed cardamom and black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, onion, lemon, and chicken into a large pot.  Add 9 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Skim any any frothy scum that collects on the surface of the broth.

After about 20 minutes, remove the chicken breast pieces and set aside. Once the broth has cooked for 45 minutes to an hour (the timing doesn't need to be precise), turn off the heat and remove the chicken legs and thighs from the pot.

Strain the broth through a fine-meshed strainer and reserve 4-5 cups. Add the salt to this both and taste.  Add more salt to taste. Save the remaining broth for another recipe (it will freeze well).

Remove and discard the chicken skin from the chicken parts . Strip off all the usable meat from the chicken and shred it by hand. Set it aside. Discard the bones.

The Stew

Heat 2 Tbsp of the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic cloves, ground coriander, salt, white pepper and stir to make a paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant, stirring often. Add half the cilantro and cook until it wilts.

Add the broth (four cups makes a rather dry stew, 5 cups is a little looser) heat it to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.

While the broth simmers, mix the vinegar, lemon juice and red onion together in a bowl. Set aside

Stir in the chard leaves a little at a time, adding more only when the previous batch has wilted. Add the shredded chicken and cook everything for 8-10 minutes.

While the stew is in its final simmer, heat the last Tbsp of butter in a small pan over medium-high heat. Wilt the remaining cilantro in the butter and cook for a minute or two.To serve, add the cilantro and the onion mixture to the stew, mix well and add salt to taste.
Serve with bread, rice or potatoes.

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Beer Can Chicken

Is it just me, or is beer can chicken a boy thing? Look, I grew up with four younger brothers, and if you told them you were going to insert a half-drunk beer into the butt of a chicken and grill it, I think they would actually get interested in cooking.

Joking aside, this is a brilliant way to roast a chicken, on the grill or in the oven. Yes the chicken looks rather ridiculous on its beer can perch, covered with an herb rub and half-ready to salute you. But hear me out. While the chicken is dry roasting on the outside, the inside is being bathed with steamy beer, keeping the chicken meat wonderfully moist.

The result is tender, falling-off-the-bone meat, encased in salty, herby, crispy skin. What follows is a basic method for beer can chicken (also known as beer butt chicken for obvious reasons). We’re using just some olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme on the chicken, which we believe brings out the best in the chicken’s flavor. You can easily experiment with your favorite spice rub, or even use wine or root beer instead of a standard beer.

Beer Can Chicken Recipe :
Cook time: 1 hour, 30 minutes Yield: Serves 4.

You can also roast a chicken this way in the oven. Just place it as directed on an open half-filled can of beer, sitting up, in a roasting pan on the lower rack of your oven. Roast at 350°F until done (about an hour fifteen to an hour and a half for a 4 lb chicken). For an alcohol-free version of this recipe, just fill a pint mason jar halfway with chicken stock and use it instead of the beer. You can also use an open can of baked beans (remove the label) instead of the beer. The chicken juices will run into and flavor the baked beans, which you can then use as a side dish for the chicken.

Ingredients :

• 1 4-pound whole chicken
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or other vegetable oil
• 1 opened, half-full can of beer, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 Tbsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp black pepper

METHOD :

1. Prepare your grill for indirect heat. If you are using charcoal, put the coals on one side of the grill, leaving another side free of coals. If you are using a gas grill, fire up only half of the burners.
2. Remove neck and giblets from cavity of chicken, if the chicken came with them. Rub the chicken all over with olive oil. Mix the salt, pepper, and thyme in a little bowl, then sprinkle it all over the chicken
3. Make sure the beer can is open, and only half-filled with beer (drink the other half!) If you want, you can put a sprig of thyme (or another herb like rosemary or sage) in the beer can. Lower the chicken on to the open can, so that the chicken is sitting upright, with the can in its cavity. Place the chicken on the cool side of the grill, using the legs and beer can as a tripod to support the chicken on the grill and keep it stable.
4. Cover the grill and walk away. Do not even check the chicken for at least an hour. After an hour, check the chicken and refresh the coals if needed (if you are using a charcoal grill). Keep checking the chicken every 15 minutes or so, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 160°F - 165°F. The total cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken, and the internal temperature of the grill. A 4 lb chicken will usually take around 1 1/2 hours. If you don't have a meat thermometer, a way to tell if the chicken is done is to poke it deeply with a knife (the thigh is a good place to do this), if the juices run clear, not pink, the chicken is done.
5. Carefully transfer the chicken to a tray or pan. I say "carefully" because the beer can, and the beer inside of it, is quite hot. One way to do this is to slide a metal spatula under the bottom of the beer can. Use tongs to hold the top of the chicken. Lift the chicken, beer can still inside, and move it to a tray. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Carefully lift the chicken off of the can. If it gets stuck, lay the chicken on its side, and pull out the can with tongs.

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Beer Braised Chicken and Onions

It’s hard to believe that a week ago we still had 100° highs here in Sacramento. Now it’s finally starting to feel like fall, and even though I’m still wearing shorts around the house (call it denial), the flip flops are gone and warm wooly socks have taken their place. It’s time for stews and slow braises like this one, rich, savory, and warming. This beer braised chicken is a riff off a classic Belgian carbonnade, a slow braise with sweet, malty dark beer, mustard, with chicken thighs smothered in onions.

The thing to note is that you can’t use any old beer. You want a dark beer, a “malty” beer, one that has richness and body, and sweet notes. The beer cooks down with the stock and mustard, forming a beautiful sauce for the finished dish.

Beer Braised Chicken and Onions Recipe :

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 chicken thighs, about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds
• Salt
• 3 pounds yellow onions, sliced 1/4-inch thick, root to stem, about 6-8 cups sliced
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 Tbsp smooth Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups dark beer
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Freshly ground black pepper

What beer you use matters. Dark beers tend to be more full bodied and malty and sweet. They will work well in this stew. Hoppy beers like IPA or pale ale are too bitter for this stew and should be avoided. For this recipe we've used Moylan's Kilt Lifter, a Scottish ale, and also Ommegang Abbey Ale. A soft Belgian beer like Flanders Red or one of the Chimay beers would also be ideal.

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African Chicken Peanut Stew

Chicken, sweet potatoes and peanuts are one of those magical flavor combinations that make me feel all warm and happy, especially because I never would have thought to do this 20 years ago, when I met some fellow University of Wisconsin students from Ghana who made this stew at their apartment. Chicken groundnut stew is, in various forms, common all over West Africa, and this is my version, inspired by my colleagues at UW.

The best way to make this stew is with two whole stewing hens—older chickens available at Asian and Latin markets. You start by simmering the birds to make stock, which then becomes the base of the stew, and then you use the meat from the hens. This is a bit labor-intensive for most, so I normally use pre-cut chicken parts: legs, wings and especially thighs. This stew is just made for chicken thighs.

What is a little unusual about how you make the stew is that you first brown the chicken and then stew it on the bone. You can certainly eat it off the bone in the stew, but this is messy, so I prefer to fish out the meat and shred it. Why bother with the bones and skin at all? They add a ton of flavor to the stew.


African Chicken Peanut Stew Recipe

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6-8

Use chicken legs, thighs or wings for this recipe. They have more flavor and will hold up better with the flavors of the stew than breast meat.

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced
• A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
• 2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup roasted peanuts
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Method

1 Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.

2 Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.

3 Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.

4 Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want, or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.

5 Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.

The stew is supposed to be pretty spicy, so I normally use a lot of hot sauce thrown in at the end of the cooking. I only call for 1 teaspoon of cayenne here, because no matter how chile-adverse you are, it ought to have at least a faint bite of heat. If you truly can’t take chiles, skip the cayenne. But someone in Ghana will cry.

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