Chicken Thighs with Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce
Hi. Your hostess returns.
On December 16th I got my third Covid booster. The first two were Pfizer, and no big deal. The third was Moderna, and made me so sick John considered calling an ambulance.
(Despite the above, I still think everyone should get vaccinated and boosted. A few hours of discomfort are nothing compared to the horror of Covid19.)
The worst of it passed within a few hours. This was a good thing, because afew days later my husband developed pressure sores. This was our first experience of pressure sores, and hopefully our last. If you are unfamiliar with pressure sores, may you remain so. Pressure sores are bane of those who sit or lie down for protracted periods, and left unattended, they rapidly become septic, even deadly. Christopher Reeve died from complications stemming from pressure sores. So did the cartoonist Callahan. Both men were well cared for.
Of course this happened just before Christmas, meaning reaching our doctors was impossible. No matter when I called, the phone lines were jammed. On Christmas Eve I called our insurer at 5am. The wait time for a telehealth nurse was 30 minutes.
We gave up. John emailed a good friend and fellow wheelchair user for advice. I consulted the internet. Under other circumstances I would never rely on the net for healthcare.
These were not other circumstances.
—
So, here we are, three weeks later. It’s 2022. John is almost fully recovered. Omicron is shutting schools and libraries and heaven knows what else. Harry Belafonte died. Betty White died. Eve Babitz died. So did Joan Didion.
At some point last week, between endless loads of laundry, I made this chicken dish, and it turned out really well. Somebody on instagram asked for the recipe, and I’m glad she did, or it would have been forgotten.
There are two approaches to preparing dishes like chicken with chickpeas and tomato sauce. The first is the correct way: browning the chicken, deglazing the pan, setting the booze alight. You know the drill.
Then there’s the radically wrong way, which is how I prepared it, because I wasn’t in any shape to mess around with browning or scraping or setting anything alight. I was just too tired.
The original text cracked jokes about burning things down. Since then, several people, including children, died in a Phildadelphia house fire. So instead of a tasteless joke, here is a nice Mandarin.
Returning to our radically wrong method, you rip the skin off the chicken thighs. I’ve never seen bone-in chicken thighs without skin. If you can find them, go for it. Otherwise, toss the skins into the compost, and this once, don’t worry about it.
Then cut or scissor the chicken into messy chunks. A knife will work, but sharp scissors are easier. One piece of chicken will include the bone, with some flesh attached. Why? Because food tastes better cooked on the bone, and even now, in this crazed moment, we can manage this much. Toss the chicken pieces into a large-ish pan, ideally a pan with a lid. No lid? This is why the goddesses invented tinfoil.
Much nicer looking than raw chicken.
Chicken thighs with chickpeas and tomato sauce includes an allium component. If, like me, you are experiencing difficulty shopping because you cannot leave the house, use whatever you have to hand: green onion, shallot, white onion, purple onion. I’ve made this with green onion and shallot, and each was good. (This assumes you are nervous about grocery delivery services. I am, for numerous reasons. including theft. Anything delivered to my door is unlikely to stay there very long.)
I should’ve centered that bowl. What in hell what I thinking? Answer: I wasn’t.
The chickpeas: mine are from Italy. They’re packed in a glass jar. They cost more than chickpeas in metal cans, and taste a bit better. If you want to look down your nose at me and soak dried chickpeas, please go right ahead. In another, better life, I would soak dried chickpeas. I do not have that life. At least right now.
Use as little or as much garlic as you wish. I use a lot.
Do try to use the best tomato sauce you can find. I use home-canned tomato sauce, and nothing replicates it. That said, there are some Italian canned tomatoes out there that come pretty close, and are not going to dig into the kid’s college fund, or your nursing home nest egg.
The squeeze of lemon pulls all the flavors together without being assertive. You need not use it, but your dish will be the better for it.
What else? This chicken dish may be cooked stovetop, if your oven is busy; you want a medium heat, a nice simmer, give it an hour, then check.
Serve chicken with chickpeas and tomato sauce with a green salad, if you’re trying to be virtuous. If you’ve given up on virtuous (hi!), rice, couscous, or flatbread all work beautifully.
Chicken with Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce
Preparation Time: about 15 minutes hands-on, if that, and an hour’s cooking time in the oven
Serving size: Feeds 2-3, easily scaled upward
Please read notes, below, before cooking.
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2-3 tbsp white wine or Vermouth
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into coins
1 shallot lobe, trimmed and cut into disks, or two green onions, trimmed and chopped, or half of a larger onion, peeled and cut into half moons.
2-4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
3-4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, of best quality you can afford
1 jar 13 ounce/368 jar or can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 16-ounce/ 450 g can Roma tomatoes
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 teaspoon fennel seed
tiny sprinkling hot pepper flakes (optional)
Squeeze lemon (optional but recommended)
One bay leaf
You will need a wide, lidded braiser or other ovenproof pot to make this dish. If you don’t have a lidded pan, use tinfoil. This chicken dish may also be cooked stovetop, over medium heat.
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C
Place the pan over a burner and turn the heat to low. Add the olive oil and white wine. Toss in the shallots, or whatever onions you’re using, the garlic, and the carrots. Let them cook a little while you deal with the chicken thighs.
Tear the skins off the thighs, as discussed in the post. Wash your hands well, then either roughly chop the chicken into messy pieces or use a scissors to cut the thighs into chunks. Include the bone. Toss the chunks into the pot. Wash your hands and the utensils in hot soapy water.
Now add the chickpeas to the pot, along with the tomatoes. Give everything a stir.
Add the salt, pepper, fennel seeds, and hot pepper flakes, if using.
Toss in the bay leaf.
Put the lid on the pot and put it in the oven for at least an hour. If cooking the chicken stovetop, increase the heat to medium. You want a nice simmer but not a high boil.
The dish is done when the chicken is cooked through, tender, and juices run clear. The carrots should also be tender.
You can remove any chicken adhering to the bones before serving, or rely on the diners to do this. I remove it before serving.
Serve chicken with chickpeas in tomato sauce with a green salad and bread. Or serve over rice, couscous, or farro.
Refrigerate leftovers up to four days. Do not freeze.
Notes:
The chicken may be prepared stovetop if you prefer. The cooking time may be increased; place the pan over medium heat. Cover with a lid or foil and simmer for at least an hour, testing a piece of chicken at the hour point. If it isn’t cooked through, test after ten more minutes. Depending on your pan and heat, it could take up to 90 minutes.
The dish may be prepared with boneless chicken thighs or breasts. If you use these cuts, decrease cooking times accordingly. I have never seen bone-in, skinless chicken pieces, which is why I suggest using bone-in cuts and discarding the skin here. If you can buy skinless parts with the bone in, use those.
Theme and Variation
Chicken with Chickpeas and Tomato sauce may endlessly tinkered with to good effect. Consider other seasoning profiles: garam masala, chaat masala, coriander seeds, cumin, paprika–both hot and sweet-tumeric, and more hot pepper.
Add a tablespoon of tomato paste to the dish, or, in season, add sliced fresh tomatoes to the pan.
A slug of liquor also changes flavor, to good effect: Marsala, brandy, Calvados, Armaganac, even Vodka.
With the arrival of spring come spring onions, and even better, spring garlic, which is more delicate than its summer and fall cousins.
A spoonful of dairy is nice, too, but add it off heat, lest it split. Off heat, stir in a good tablespoon of yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraiche. Too bland? Hot pepper fixes damned near everything, albeit temporarily.
Fresh herbs shouldn’t be overlooked, either: a few leaves of torn mint or cilantro may be just what the dish needs. Parsley never goes amiss.
The variations are endless, and delicious, which is why chicken is such a beloved food.
