Simple Smart One Pot Chicken & Greens
By Marianne Sundquist
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 40 minutes (cooking time)
I think I need to start by confessing a couple of things. When I make this at home it’s usually because I’m in a rush and I just want dinner to be easy. I almost never measure anything out, but in an attempt to create some reasonable instructions that can be replicated, I did for all of you just this once.
This is the type of dish where once you learn the basics, I hope you eventually come to place of abandoning the recipe and fully make it your own, bringing it into your personal canon of recipes that you go to again and again because it’s a perfect match for you.
For instance, the recipe calls for broccoli, yet could be swapped out with rapini (like I did in the photo), arugula, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard, kale, beet greens, shaved zucchini and/or carrots, sliced turnips, even sliced cabbage!
The onion, garlic, ginger and fresh chile here act as the “mirepoix” or flavor base. If something doesn’t sound good to you, skip it and keep going. You could go in a number of directions here. You could add turmeric, lemongrass, and at the very end after the chicken has browned, add a can of coconut milk for the final five minutes of cooking. You could add a splash of fish sauce to the marinade, or garnish at the end with sliced scallions, sliced basil, or chopped cashews. You could even swap out the apple cider vinegar for lime juice, add some crushed coriander and swap out the ginger for cilantro. Sometimes once the chicken has started browning, I sprinkle some green chile powder on them for the final minutes of cooking. What do you have in the fridge? What dried herbs do you have that you love? This is all that matters.
After lunch I take five minutes and marinate the chicken (you could do this in the morning or even the night before). By the time dinner rolls around it’s ready for cooking. We usually have this for dinner on it’s own but roasted sweet potatoes are a delicious pairing if you want something on the side.
And just a note on dealing with raw chicken. If you have any doubt about the chicken being cooked enough, use a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh and make sure it reads at least 165 F. Make sure to wash all knives, surfaces, bowls, with hot soapy water. And if any kitchen towels came into contact with raw chicken, throw them in the washing machine.
Ingredients
For the marinade:
1 lb. Chicken Thighs, excess fat trimmed off
3 T. Apple cider vinegar
2 T. water
2 T. Soy sauce
2 T. Maple syrup
For cooking:
3 T. olive oil
1 sweet onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2” piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 fresh red chile or jalapeno, seeded and sliced
4 c. of broccoli florets (or other hearty green)
¼ c. water
Soy sauce, salt, and/or pepper to taste
Method
Add the chicken, apple cider vinegar, water, soy sauce and maple syrup to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 2-24 hours. Marinating longer will result in more flavor, but even two hours will incorporate amazing flavor.
When ready to cook, heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over low heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and fresh chile and let cook for around 10 minutes, or until softened. Turn up the heat to medium high and add the entire bowl of chicken, marinade and all. Let the marinade come to a simmer and let the chicken cook around 15-20 minutes, or until the marinade reduces all the way, giving way for chicken caramelization goodness to start happening.
Once the chicken browns nicely on one side, turn the chicken over and let brown on the other side. Once it’s been browned on both sides, pour in the broccoli and water. Cover and cook for five minutes until the broccoli is steamed but still has a bite.
To serve: Remove the lid, scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, check to make sure the chicken is fully cooked and divide into bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of soy sauce, or crack a bit of salt and pepper on top.