(My version of the [skinless] roast chicken and chickpeas)
Ever since I was in junior high, I pretty much dreaded Sunday nights. Sunday nights meant an end to the weekend break, fun, rest or socializing and lots and lots of homework. Our family of 5 growing up often had very busy weekends, but my mom, a pediatrician, somehow almost always made the time to create and feed us a yummy home-cooked meal on a Sunday night. Often, we’d be eating at 9:30 pm or even 10 pm (I remember this because I’d hear the show Trapper John MD’s theme music on in the background on TV which came on at 10 pm and recognize that heck, it was REALLY late to be eating dinner, but oh well). After I finished my graduate studies, my Sunday night blues continued as thoughts of the stressful work week ahead and how little I’d done to prepare for it would enter my mind. For many years, my husband and I both had the Sunday night blues and would be so blah that we’d just order something heavy and fattening to eat as take out and end up feeling worse! So a few years ago I made a decision that I would try to make a particularly yummy, mostly healthy Sunday night meal as many Sundays as humanly possible. My husband recently spontaneously started to help me in the kitchen on Sunday nights too. And suddenly, wha-la, a fun, easy, bonding, relaxing and delicious end to our weekend/start to our week which even our kids enjoy was born! The kids play (often pillow fight, don’t ask) and set the table while we cook and then we all sit down together and chow down. If/when they compliment me when I make something new, it truly is a treat.
This past Sunday, I made a new recipe that I had found in the New York Times Food Section. The recipe is for roast chicken on a sheet pan with chickpeas/garbanzo beans. The recipe called for skin on pieces of chicken, but I always buy whole chicken cut up from my local Indian grocery store so I just used that. I followed the NYT’s recipe very closely BUT, I added a tablespoon of garlic/ginger paste to my marinade and I added 1 of the 2 tablespoons of olive oil called for by the recipe to the chicken marinade to keep the skinless chicken from drying out as it roasted. My whole family really enjoyed this Indian-ish but not spicy chicken and by turning the garbanzo beans multiple times while roasting, they were not dry or crunchy and ended up being extremely flavorful. I served this entree with corn (but a green veg would have been better), a grape tomato and cucumber salad and couscous. I definitely think the dish would have been even tastier if I’d made it with skin-on chicken, but my kids enjoyed even the healthier version and my oldest even asked to pack it for lunch the next day! Mission accomplished. Bon Appetit!
Roast Chicken and Chickpeas recipe is as follows:
INGREDIENTS
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken, cut into parts (alternatively, 3 to 3 1/2 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts, such as breasts, thighs and legs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ½ cups full-fat Greek yogurt, divided
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 teaspoons ground turmeric, divided
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large red onion, thinly sliced, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup mint or cilantro leaves, torn
PREPARATION
Season chicken parts with salt and pepper.
Combine 3/4 cup yogurt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon turmeric and 2 tablespoons water in a large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. (It should be on the salty side, as this is a marinade.) Add chicken and toss to coat evenly. Let sit at least 30 minutes at room temperature, and up to overnight in the refrigerator. [I refrigerated for about an hour and then let sit for 30 minutes at room temp.]
Place oven rack on the top third of the oven and heat to 425 degrees.
Combine chickpeas, fennel seed, cumin, remaining teaspoon of turmeric and half the red onion slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Move chickpeas to the outer edges of the baking sheet. Scrape any excess marinade off the chicken, and place the chicken parts in the center. Place baking sheet in oven and bake, tossing chickpeas occasionally, until the skin of the chicken is evenly browned and the chickpeas are golden and starting to crisp, 45 to 50 minutes. [I cooked the chicken for 1 hour total]
Meanwhile, toss remaining onion slices with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
Combine remaining yogurt with remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
Once chicken is ready, scatter with lemony onions and mint or cilantro. Serve with seasoned yogurt alongside as a sauce.
Let me know how this turns out for you all if you make it!
Yours truly,
M
