Braised Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole free-range chicken
1 tbsp (15 g) minced onion
1 tbsp (10 g) chopped garlic, plus 1 tbsp (10 g) crushed garlic, divided
1 tsp (2 g) ground cumin
salt
2 bay leaves
3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2-inch (5 cm) rounds
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 2-inch (5 cm) rounds
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1 tbsp (15 ml) annatto (achiote) oil
1/4 cup (40 g) chopped red onion
2 tbsp (20 g) each chopped red, green, and yellow bell peppers
2 tbsp (5 g) cilantro leaves
3 tbsp (7.5 g) chopped culantro (Mexican/long coriander)
Directions:
1. Cut the chicken into joints, and cut each joint (including the breasts) in half. Crush the onion, chopped garlic, and cumin together with a little salt to form a paste. Tear up the bay leaves by hand and mix them into the paste. Rub this mixture all over the chicken and let marinate for 1 hour.
2. Put the potatoes and carrots in a saucepan of salted water, bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are cooked but still firm to the bite. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the olive and annatto oils together and sauté the onion, the red, green, and yellow bell peppers, the crushed garlic, cilantro leaves, and culantro for 2 minutes.
4. Wipe the excess marinade from the chicken pieces, and add the chicken to the pan. Sauté for about 10 minutes.
5. Add 6. cups (1.5 L) of water and salt to taste. Cook for 40 minutes, turning the chicken pieces every now and then, until they are cooked through. If needed, add more water to prevent the sauce from drying out.
6. Add the carrot and potato to the pan and cook for a further minute. When ready, the sauce should come about halfway up the sides of the pan. Serve with Brazilian-style White Rice.
Used with permission from Brazilian Food by Thiago Castanho and Luciana Bianchi, Firefly Books 2014, $39.95
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