• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, Dutch oven, or medium stockpot over low heat. The moment it’s melted, while there’s still some foam, add the onions. Raise the heat to very low and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and soft, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and fresh ginger; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Stir in the turmeric, coriander, dry mustard, cinnamon, cumin, ground ginger, black pepper, and cayenne to taste. Raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, about 20 seconds.

Stir in the coconut milk and water, then add the chicken pieces, submerging them in the liquid. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.

Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer quite slowly for 40 minutes until the chicken is very tender, almost falling off the bone.

Skim any visible fat off the surface of the sauce; stir in the cilantro just before serving.

Variations: Omit all the dried herbs and spices, from the turmeric through the cayenne in the ingredient list, and stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons bottled yellow curry paste. Or substitute up to 1½ tablespoons Thai curry paste—but beware, it’s absurdly hot!

Add 1 green tart apple, such as a Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped, with the onion.

Add 2 carrots, thinly sliced, with the onion.

Add 2 scallions, thinly sliced, with the garlic and fresh ginger.

Stir in ½ cup golden raisins, ½ cup slivered almonds, and/or ¼ cup chopped unsalted roasted cashews with the cilantro.

Southwestern-Inspired Arroz con Pollo with Chiles, horizo, and Beer

Here’s our untraditional, Southwestern version of the Spanish casserole—no whole tomatoes, just a heady broth thickened with tomato paste and spiked with fresh poblanos. Makes 8 servings

2 poblano chiles

12 ounces dried Spanish chorizo, cut into ½-inch pieces (see Note)

One 4-to 5-pound chicken, giblets and neck removed, cut into 9 pieces

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dry sherry

One 12-ounce bottle dark or amber beer

1½ cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 teaspoons chopped oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons stemmed thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon saffron, crumbled and soaked in 1 tablespoon water for 5 minutes

1 teaspoon salt

2 bay leaves

1 cup long-grain white rice

Char the chiles over an open gas flame, holding them over it with metal tongs; or broil them until blackened on all sides on a large baking sheet about 5 inches from a preheated broiler, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes. Place the chiles in a paper bag and seal tightly, or place them in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Peel the blackened skin off the chiles. Stem, seed, and roughly chop the chiles, then set aside.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Set a large, heat-safe Dutch oven or a very large, heavy oven casserole over medium heat. Add the chorizo and brown lightly, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate; set aside.

Cut each breast in half the short way. Season all the chicken pieces with the pepper, add them to the pot, and brown in the rendered chorizo fat, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a second plate and set aside as well.

Drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pot. Return the pot to medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring constantly, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 20 seconds.

Pour in the sherry and scrape up any browned bits on the pot’s bottom while the sherry comes to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute to reduce the sherry a bit.

Pour in the beer and chicken broth, then stir in the tomato paste until it dissolves. Stir in the chopped poblanos, oregano, thyme, saffron with its soaking water, salt, and bay leaves. Bring back to a simmer.

Stir in the rice, chorizo, chicken pieces, and any accumulated juices, submerging the meat somewhat in the liquid. Bring to a simmer, making sure no grains of rice stand