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I was inspired by a chicken recipe I saw in a cookbook that paired cardamom, caramelized onions and chicken together. It's a well-known cookbook called Jerusalem: A Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. The New York Times published their adaptation of that recipe some years ago. I decided to give it a whirl myself and this adaptation has become one of my all-time favorites.

with chicken thighs, trim that fat first

Before you get started, you might want to check out my post on how to trim the fat from chicken thighs. This is a very helpful tutorial if you're hesitant to cook chicken thighs because of all that fat.

I bend toward darker meat chicken, but when I think of all the fat on chicken thighs, I start feeling incredibly guilty. So I decided to get into the mentality of allowing some extra time when using thighs. You'll need a good pair of kitchen shears. You don't need to spend big bucks on these. Kitchen Aid has a very good pair for around $12-15.

It will take longer in the beginning if you're not used to trimming the fat. Allow yourself a couple of minutes per thigh. As time goes on, you'll get better and faster. And if you love chicken thighs like I do, it is worth the effort to trim the fat first and eat the darker meat guilt free.

Cardamom Chicken Thighs, Coconut Rice and Fresh Herbs = Food Nirvana

*Hungry yet? A very up close and personal look at a bowl of cardamom chicken thighs.*

Cardamom is amazing but I don't get to use it that much. With cardamom, it comes in the pod form and the ground form. Using whole cardamom pods is perfect for certain recipes. When I make chicken biryani, I use whole pods in a cheesecloth with other whole spices to flavor the rice while it cooks. For this recipe, ground cardamom works much better in my opinion and is more accessible. Same with the whole cloves - gone. Ground cloves are much easier and still provide amazing flavor.

*I love serving my cardamom chicken family-style on a big platter garnished with cilantro, dill and cinnamon sticks*

Fresh herbs add such a wonderful pop of freshness to this recipe. I realize it costs a bit extra to do this and maybe you think it won't really matter in terms of flavor. But I can tell you this: I've made this so many times with AND without the fresh herbs. The final verdict: infinitely better with fresh herbs. Obviously, still delicious without the herbs, but if you can swing it the fresh herbs are fantastic. I also realize not everyone likes cilantro. You have permission to skip that and just use the dill.

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Kicking It Up a Notch with coconut raisin basmati

Hey, look, the chefs who created this recipe are culinary geniuses. But what I love about food and cooking is that it's open to interpretation and modification. It's fun to play with food and shift the flavors a little and see what happens. I love barberries (what the original recipe calls for) and I actually have them on hand. But noone else will. They are hard to find where I am. They are usually sold at Middle Eastern markets and those are a bit for away.

When I tested this recipe, I switched to brown raisins, and those do work... but I found that golden raisins were slightly better for this recipe. The dark raisins get the ever-so-slightest (and I'm just being fussy pants here) bitterness when cooked. Whereas, I found that did not happen with the golden raisins.

When my kitchen fills up with the smell of Basmati rice, I am in my happy place. For this recipe, however, I wanted to kick the flavor up another notch. Instead of adding boiling water to the chicken, onions and rice, I boiled coconut milk and chicken broth together. The coconut rice is a fantastic (and unexpected) addition to this flavor profile and takes the dish to another level. I can't remember why I tried it in one of the iterations as I was testing. But it became a total winner because of it.

*One irresistible bowl of cardamom chicken thighs with coconut raisin rice.*

Cardamom Chicken is an Excellent One-Pan Dinner Option

My absolute favorite cut of chicken is the thigh, did I mention that? So much flavor and tenderness and so forgiving with longer cooking times. I'm always on the hunt for new ways to prepare chicken thighs. The simplicity of mixing the chicken thighs with the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon sticks makes cooking this a breeze. The best part is that while your onions are caramelizing you get all the other prep work done. Then everything goes in one covered oven-safe pan or baking dish and into the oven. The everything-in-one-pan factor makes cooking this a breeze.

Cooking a Little More Than You Need = Leftovers for lunch

This recipe is a keeper for sure and it also reheats very well. I'm usually cooking with leftovers in mind so I don't spend money eating out lunch. I tend to specifically seek out foods that will reheat well in the microwave when I know I'll need lunch for a couple of days. This is absolutely one of them.

You don't need to spend $15 a day on lunch. Get into the habit of cooking delicious meals at home. If you're cooking for 4 people - you'll still have two extra portions of this you can take for your lunch. And you will LOVE having these cardamom chicken thighs for your lunch.

Got Chicken on Your Brain? I Gotcha Covered:

Cardamom Chicken Thighs with Coconut Raisin Rice

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Author: Stacey
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 6 1x

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Description

Cardamom chicken thighs are the thing you didn't know was missing from your life. These fall-off-the-bone thighs are fantastic!

Instructions

Caramelize your onions. Slice your medium onions (white, yellow, red – doesn’t matter). Put onions in pan with olive oil and salt. Mix together on low to medium heat. Stir here and there for 25-30 minutes until onions are golden brown. While these are caramelizing - do your other prep.
Trim excess fat from chicken thighs. Any extra flaps of skin or other fat hanging off the thighs must get cut off. Watch my tutorial for assistance.
Put chicken thighs in a large bowl. Add salt, ground cardamom, ground cloves, black pepper, olive oil, cinnamon sticks (broken in half).
With your hands (gloves recommended), give that chicken a good mix to make sure all the oil and spices are well combined and coating all the pieces. Set aside for a moment.
Get a medium sauce pot and pour in the coconut milk and chicken broth. Heat on low and keep simmering until you’re ready to put your chicken in the oven. Before adding to the cooking pan with the chicken, it will need to be brought to a boil so plan your time.
Heat a large pan and cook your chicken thighs and cinnamon sticks for five minutes on each side – starting with the skin side down. We’re not cooking them all the way through – just five minutes on each side.
While chicken is cooking, wash basmati rice until the water runs clear. Then spread the raw rice on the bottom of your baking dish.
Spread your caramelized onions on top of the raw rice.
Sprinkle a little of the ground cardamom and ground cloves on top of the onions (this is the "plus extra" mentioned in ingredient list).
Place chicken thighs and cinnamon sticks on top of the onions.
Scatter your golden raisins and then the optional cashews (if you’re using them) evenly across the pan, around the chicken.
You’re coconut milk and chicken broth should be boiling by now and it must be boiling before you add it to your baking pan or dish. As soon as it’s added put the lid on.
Place the chicken in a preheated oven at 400 degrees and cook for 40 minutes.
While chicken is cooking you can chop your cilantro and dill. We’ll mix some in with the chicken and rice and leave some aside to garnish the dish.
When the chicken is finished cooking, take it out of the oven, remove the lid and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Then tightly secure the lid once again. Let it sit like this for 10 minutes.

Now you’re ready to serve!!

I usually put the chicken on a plate while I mix the rice, caramelized onions and raisins together. I add some of the cilantro and dill here and combine with the rice. You can see the final presentation in the video. I usually serve this family style.