Jerusalem Grill
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ¼cup olive oil
- 1large red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- 2teaspoons plus a pinch of kosher salt
- 2teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1teaspoon ground fenugreek
- 1teaspoon baharat
- 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or a combination of 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, ½ pound chicken hearts and ½ pound chicken livers, trimmed and cut into nickel-size pieces
- 1lemon, halved
- Cooked Basmati or other long-grain rice
- Israeli salad, pita bread, sliced pickles and hummus, for serving
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make caramelized onions: Swirl 2 tablespoons oil into a medium skillet set over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent, about 7 minutes, then lower the heat, and continue to cook, stirring every few minutes, until the onions are deeply caramelized. This could take up to 45 minutes. Set aside.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, baharat, cinnamon and the 2 teaspoons salt. Add the chicken pieces — including the hearts and livers, if you’re using them — and toss with the spices.
- Step 3
Heat a large skillet over high, and swirl into it the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. When it shimmers, add the spiced chicken mixture, and spread it out in an even layer. Let the meat sear, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes, then lower the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring once or twice, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Step 4
Remove the chicken mixture from the heat, and stir in the caramelized onions. Serve with rice and Israeli salad or, better yet, with pita bread, sliced pickles and plenty of hummus.
Private Notes
Comments
Apparently, baharat is "A Lebanese blend of 7 spices including paprika, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg. It's a bit darker and more intense than Ras el Hanout but still works well with meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables. Best substitute for Baharat: Equal parts paprika, cumin and cinnamon OR ground cumin."
This is absolutely delicious, but I'm so surprised at how many instructions are missing—even after so many readers commented on it! Dice chicken thighs to 3/4" pieces; if you're adding livers, deduct the amount from the 2-1/2 pounds worth of thighs, or increase amount of spices; cut the livers into quarters; add the livers 3 minutes before the end and make sure all sides of them have been seared.
When I sauté onions, before I put them in the pan, I cook them in the microwave with a little oil for a few minutes. It cooks them faster and more evenly than pan-only cooking, and should speed up the caramelization.
I made a few changes while following the cooking instructions. Ingredients: Instead of the listed spices, I substituted 4 heaping teaspoons Za'atar seasoning, 1 heaping teaspoon dried Oregano, and a scant teaspoon sea salt. I added three medium-size Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped in quarter-size chunks. When the chicken and potatoes were almost done, I added a half dozen red, orange and yellow mini-peppers, cit into bite size rings. Served it over rice with a generous squeeze of lemon.
Does anyone have a recipe for the hot sauce pictured? (I assume that's what it is?)
Adding a very small pinch of baking soda (it doesn't take much) quickens the Maillard process for caramelizing onions. Will save some time on a hurried weeknight.
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