NORTH AFRICAN CHICKEN AND SPINACH STEW

facebook share image   twitter share image   pinterest share image   E-Mail share image



North African Chicken and Spinach Stew image

This dish is my mother's interpretation of a meal we had at a friend's birthday party when we were young. We came home raving about it and had to try making it for ourselves!

Provided by Jazz Smollett-Warwell

Categories     HarperCollins     HarperCollins     Dinner     Chicken     Soup/Stew     Stew     Spinach     Paprika     Oregano     Rice     Cinnamon     Garlic

Yield 4-6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

1 whole chicken (about 2 1/2 pounds)
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
Sea salt
10 garlic cloves
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) salted butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 cinnamon stick
10 ounces baby spinach, chopped (about 8 cups)
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Cooked basmati rice, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Steps:

  • PLACE the chicken in a large pot and cover it with water. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and bay leaves and season with 1 tablespoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
  • REMOVE the chicken to a deep dish or bowl and let it drain. Strain the stock into a large bowl or pan and set aside. Transfer the vegetables from the strainer to a blender (remove the bay leaves), add the garlic, and puree until completely smooth. Set aside.
  • TO make the spinach stew, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. When it's bubbling slightly, add the vegetable puree. Warm it through, about 2 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, and the cinnamon stick, then add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved stock and bring to a simmer. Cook to let the flavors develop, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat and keep warm (remove the cinnamon stick before serving).
  • MEANWHILE, when the chicken is cool enough to handle, pat it completely dry and break it down into 8 pieces: 2 thighs, 2 wings, and 2 breasts, then split the breasts in half. Place the chicken pieces in a large dish. Combine the granulated onion, granulated garlic, paprika, cayenne, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Completely coat the chicken in this dry rub.
  • MELT the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the chicken pieces and sear until charred in spots, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  • SERVE the chicken with rice and a generous ladle of spinach stew. Squeeze lemon over the plate if desired.

There are no comments yet!