Chickpea and Chicken Curry Stew

 

This stew is a favorite!  My friend Ina (I wish, right?!) says to not let the long list of ingredients scare you and she’s right!  It’s an easy stew to put together and it is sooo tasty!  It’s more of a North African curry, which means earthy and flavorful rather than the spicier Thai curries.  We love all curries but this one satisfies the warm comfort food desires of fall and winter!  

- 2lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (Ina Garten’s original recipe says boneless lamb shoulder, 1 in diced.  Amazing, but chicken is a more normal weekly meat in my house.)

- 1/4 cup Madras curry powder (I’ve used just yellow curry powder if I can’t find that one)

- 1 tsp ground paprika

- 1 tsp thyme 

- 1 tsp ground cumin

- 1/2 tsp ground fennel

- Kosher salt and pepper

- 1/2 cup olive oil

- 1 cup chopped yellow onion

- 1 tbsp fresh ginger

- 2 tsp minced garlic

- 2 cups chicken stock

- 1 can coconut milk (13.5oz)

- 1/2 cup dry white wine

- 1/2 cup tomato paste (6oz)

- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

- 3 tbsp maple syrup

- 2 tbsp Harissa paste (I’ve left this out or used ground Harissa depending what I’ve found)

- 1 cup carrots, chopped (4 carrots)

- 1 cup celery, chopped (2 large stalks)

- 1/2 cup golden raisins

- 4 cups chickpeas, drained (45oz)

In a medium bowl combine the curry powder, paprika, cumin,  thyme, fennel, 2tbsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper.  Add the seasonings to the chicken (or lamb if using), toss well to coat, and set aside for 15-30 min.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and ginger and sauté for 5 min, until the onion is translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Raise the heat to medium high, add the chicken and all the seasonings in the bowl, and sauté for 10-15 min, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is evenly browned.  Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, wine, tomato paste, brown sugar, maple syrup, and harissa.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer partially covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  

(I take the thighs out and dice them up after the hour.  Return to the simmering pot.)

Add the carrots, celery, raisins, chickpeas, and 2tsp salt.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer partially covered for another 30 minutes.  

Serve hot with with rice or couscous.  

This is seriously good!  My kids will eat this.  My husband and I love this for days as our lunch time soup.  For supper, I like serving over couscous.  For my lunch I like serving the hot stew over fresh spinach.  The hot stew wilts the spinach and is a great pairing as well!  (And secret, I normally cut any sugar in a savory recipe in half.)