Chicken Cafreal
Published Dec. 23, 2020
- Total Time
- About 1 hour, plus 1 to 2 hours’ marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 3½pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, skin removed, or 3 pounds boneless, skinless thighs
- 2medium white or yellow onions, peeled
- 1bunch fresh cilantro
- 1whole head of garlic (about 12 cloves), peeled and roughly chopped
- 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1green chile, such as serrano, stemmed and roughly chopped
- 10whole cloves
- 1tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
- 1tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon (or ½-inch cinnamon stick)
- ½teaspoon fennel seeds
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2medium russet potatoes
- 4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
764 calories; 53 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 25 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 47 grams protein; 955 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Preparation
- Step 1
Prick the chicken all over with a fork and place in a resealable plastic bag or large bowl.
- Step 2
Cut 1 onion into quarters and transfer to a blender. Reserve 2 tablespoons of cilantro leaves for garnish, then add the remaining cilantro leaves and stems to the blender along with the garlic, ginger, chile, cloves, lime juice, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cinnamon, fennel and 1 teaspoon salt. Pulse on high until the mixture is smooth. (You might need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and give it a stir to get the ingredients to move.) Pour the blended mixture over the chicken in the bag, seal or cover, and refrigerate to marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 hours.
- Step 3
About 45 minutes before you are ready to cook the chicken, prepare the potatoes: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the potatoes and quarter them lengthwise. Add them to a large saucepan, cover them with cold tap water by about 1 inch, and add 1 teaspoon salt.
- Step 4
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 5 minutes. A knife should pass through the center of the potato with only slight resistance. The potatoes should not be too soft or they will fall apart during seasoning.
- Step 5
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a large baking sheet and discard the water. Let the potatoes cool for a few minutes, then season them generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over the potatoes and toss gently to coat. Spread the potatoes out and roast them until golden-brown and crispy, about 30 minutes. If the potatoes are cooked before the chicken, remove them from the oven and cover them with foil to keep warm.
- Step 6
While the potatoes roast, cook the chicken: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high. Chop the remaining onion and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken with its marinade and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent burning, until the thighs are golden brown, completely cooked through, and most of the liquid has dissipated, leaving behind a thick coating (or dry sauce), about 30 to 40 minutes.
- Step 7
Transfer the chicken to a serving plate, garnish with the reserved cilantro leaves and serve the potatoes on top or alongside.
Private Notes
Comments
Thanks for this recipe, which looks spectacular - big, bright, flesh flavors - perfect for a winter dinner (or dinner any time of the year). I will definitely make this over these holidays. One question: what is the advantage of sautéing the chicken on the stovetop versus roasting the chicken after you have sautéed the onions in Step 6?
Tip - put some chicken stock or water in the bottom of your blender FIRST, then add your other ingredients. Having made the mistake of putting the entire bunch of cilantro in first (too dry, even with the added liquid mentioned in the recipe), I will hereafter put it in LAST, so that it moves to the bottom AFTER the blades have done their work on the onions, ginger, and many cloves of garlic.
Just cooked this. Turned out quite good, and the recipe instructions are on the money, although I would blend the various seeds in a coffee blender to bring them before blending everything including cilantro in a bigger blender. I think what’s missing is a sauce as a topper. We made an Indian sauce: .25 cup cilantro chopped .25 cup green onion chopped Juice of 1 lime 1 cup mayo or plain yogurt Added a great complement to the flavour that f the chicken!
Love this!
This was one of my favorite dishes I've cooked from NYT in a while. The flavors were intense and reminded me of chicken I'd had in India. I was able to blend everything together at once, as the recipe suggests, but others felt the spices should be blended first. Also, do put some water in the bottom of the blender. Loved the comment of making a yogurt sauce to go with this!
Do you just serve this with rice?
Advertisement