I first found a recipe for East African Chicken in a Cooking Light magazine about 10 years ago. Of course, I’ve long since lost the recipe, but tried to duplicate the recipe from memory. The combination of the spice from the ginger, the sweet from the raisins and dates, and the savory flavor from the onions and garlic give this dish fantastic balance and flavor. Serve over brown or white rice. Sooooo good!
Here we go:
You’ll need onion, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, pitted dates, golden raisins, chicken broth, dry white wine, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
The original recipe didn’t call for skinless chicken thighs, but I think they make for the most flavorful and most economical meal. You can often times find them on sale for $.99/lb. I removed the skin and excess fat.
Season both sides of the thighs with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Brown the thighs in your braising pan with olive oil. Remove from the pan onto a plate.
Add onions to the pan and cook for a few minutes or until the onions begin to soften. Add a touch of the chicken broth to loosen the bits from the bottom of the pan. This will evaporate and you’ll still be able to give the onions some color.
Add the fresh garlic…
and the ginger and cook for a few minutes.
Add the dates, raisins, and chicken broth to the pan.
Add the wine and allow this mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes.
Nestle the chicken into the onion and broth mixture. Top each piece of chicken with the onion mixture. Cover with a tight fitting lid and braise over low heat for 40 minutes. (try not to peek) Serve over steamed white or brown rice. Serves four. This dish will only cost you 7 Weight Watcher’s points! (10 points with 1/2 cup of brown rice)
4 medium chicken thighs with bone, skin removed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion thinly sliced, about 2 cups
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh peeled and finely minced ginger root
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup chopped dates
1 ½ cups chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
1) Remove the skin and excess fat from the chicken thighs and season with salt and pepper.
2) Heat a heavy skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add olive oil. Brown the chicken on both sides. While the chicken is browning, slice the onion, mince the garlic, and peel and mince the ginger.
3) Remove the browned chicken from the skillet onto a plate, cover loosely with foil.
4) Add the onion to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, the onions should be soft.
5) Add the garlic and ginger, cook another two minutes.
6) Add the raisins, dates, chicken broth, and wine. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Nestle the chicken pieces in the liquid and top with the goodies. Cover with the lid and cook over low heat for 40 minutes. Serve over steamed rice. Serves 4.
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