Lockdown chicken stew

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I was alone during the first 2020 lockdown, and for evening meals, started making food that would last me two days or more. As I'm a lazy cook, that also meant making things that more or less cooked themselves, and didn't dirty many pots, me, or the kitchen.

One of these dishes is a kind of chicken stew that, with rice, pasta or boiled potatoes, makes two good dinners for me. And the left-over sauce can then be resurrected on the third day to make a pasta dish in its own right.

I buy a pack of four of what the French call 'hauts de cuisses', i.e. the thighs only, without drumsticks, but of course you can buy whatever pieces you want. Place them in cold olive oil, skin-side down, in a wide pan, about four inches deep, then blitz them on a high heat, with the lid on: this way, you don't get oil and fat spitting all over the kitchen and burning your hands.

While they're browning, cut up:

  • one large onion
  • garlic if there's any to hand
  • a bulb of fennel or a few sticks of celery
  • an aubergine
  • a courgette
  • two red bell peppers
  • three or four tomatoes.
When the skin is brown, set the chicken aside on a plate and start cooking the vegetables, in the same oil and still on a high heat, starting with the onion and fennel. When they start to brown and soften, add the aubergine, courgette and peppers, and keep turning it over from time to time so it doesn't burn at the bottom.

While this is going on, season the vegetables with whatever you like. I usually use nutmeg, cumin (seeds or ground), turmeric, sometimes saffron as well, black pepper, and of course salt. Sometimes fresh ginger, if I happen to have some - in which case, if I also have Persian dried limes in the cupboard, three or four of those, pierced, might also be nice.

Add the tomatoes and some chopped herbs. I just hack at them directly over the pan with scissors. Today I had thyme from the balcony and parsley from the grocer's. On other days I might buy coriander or basil. Turn it all over once again, then place the chicken pieces, skin side up, on the top, and cover again (this is the stage in the photo above, taken just before I put the lid on). Leave on a low heat for about an hour, but about halfway through take the chicken out, stir the sauce, put the chicken back and put the lid back on.

You can of course do all this in advance. 

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