Recipe
Moroccan Winter Chicken Braise with Butternut Squash, Fennel & Prunes
A quick and healthy, one pot dinner
Prudence Sloane (www.prudencesloane.com)
This is the kind of recipe you can have fun with by changing the vegetables. I usually make this with spinach and cauliflower, but not finding any spinach in the supermarket forced me to come up with a different version. This is perfect for the winter with butternut squash, fennel and prunes
4 chicken thighs
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
¼ cup white wine
½ teaspoon ginger (fresh or jarred)
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup ½” diced butternut squash (can be frozen)
1 can drained and rinsed chickpeas
½ cup 1/3” dice fresh fennel
½ cup pitted prunes
1 cup cauliflower florets (can be frozen)
1//2 teaspoon or more salt to taste
1/3 cup cilantro leaves
Peel the skin off the chicken thighs and trim off any excess fat. Over medium heat, in a medium sauté or sauce pan with lid, add the curry powder, cumin and turmeric. Heat for 30 seconds to one minute over medium heat or until just smoking and fragrant. Add the chicken broth, wine, ginger, chicken, squash and chickpeas. The chicken broth should almost cover the food. Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked throughout. Add the fennel, prunes and cauliflower florets. Stir and continue cooking covered for an additional 15 -20 minutes or until the fennel is no longer raw and the cauliflower cooked. The dish should be brothy, the butternut squash dissolved thickening the broth slightly, the chicken very tender and the vegetables soft. Season with salt. Sprinkle the cilantro over the top and serve very hot.
The Art & Science of Braising:
Braising is a wet heat method of cooking. The food is cooked slowly in a liquid that comes up about halfway up the food. The food is cooked covered, allowing steam to develop. The food should fit tightly in the pot with very little space between the food and the lid. Braising can be done in the oven as well as on top of the stove. The oven allows for a more even gentle heat. Always use a good heavy pot as to not burn the bottom of the pan. When the food is cooked - it should be soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork.
Braising is for tough cuts of meat that have lot of connective tissue. They must be cooked for long periods of time in a liquid in order for the connective tissue to soften. When cooked, the protein will at first toughen. In order for it to become soft again it must continue cooking. The cooking liquid should never boil but instead remain a very gentle simmer.
