ONE-POT CHICKEN & LENTILS
Picky Art gave this one an A minus. Fairly easy NYT Cooking recipe to make on a weeknight.
Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow or red onion, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, unpeeled and cut into thin rounds
Salt and pepper
4 to 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (1½ to 2 pounds), patted dry ( We only had boneless, skinless thighs, which worked just fine)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed
1 lime, halved
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley leaves and tender stems
Preparation
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high until shimmering. Add the onion and carrots, season lightly with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions just start to soften, about 3 minutes.
Push the carrots and onions to the sides of the pot, creating space in the center. Season the chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper, then add them, skin-side down, to the center of the pot. Cook until the skin easily releases from the pan, 7 to 9 minutes, pushing the onions and carrots occasionally. (Everything will be snug and that’s OK!)
Note We used skinless, boneless thighs so of course, it cooked more quickly
Add the tomato paste, cumin, turmeric and garlic to the carrots and onions, stirring as best you can. Flip the chicken, stack the pieces to make some room in the pot to stir, and cook until the tomato paste intensifies and darkens in color, about 2 minutes.
Add the lentils and 4 cups of water (or more if needed, to fully submerge the lentils and most of the chicken). Adjust the heat to bring the liquid to a boil, and season with salt. Cover with the lid slightly ajar, adjust the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, the chicken is cooked through and the flavors blended, 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove and discard the skin from the chicken. Stir in half the lime juice, spoon some sauce over the chicken, then taste and season as needed with more lime juice or salt. Finish with a few grinds of pepper and sprinkle with the cilantro before dividing among bowls.