This one-skillet rustic dish has the hallmarks of Turkish foods~~spices like cumin and allspice, lots of fresh veggies, butter, olive oil, and more. While kabobs are really part of Turkish cuisine, this skillet chicken dish is somewhat like a kabob, ingredient-wise, without the skewer stick!
Turkish cuisine comes from Ottoman cuisine, which is a mix and refinement of the other nearby Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and Balkan cuisines. Lamb is popular, but also chicken and roasting and grilling are common cooking techniques. Lots of fresh ingredients and more. This dish is a feast in a skillet and only needs some good bread, labneh sauce, wine and it’s complete. After setting the table, lighting the candles, and placing this succulent skillet of goodness on the table with homemade ekmek (bread) made us feel like we’d settled in from a long day of exploring the spice markets in Istanbul! Oh, the power of imagination and dreaming~~yes, that’s the ‘bohemian bold’ way of living right from your own kitchen and table! Be sure and serve this right from the skillet!
Serves: 6
Preheat oven to 275
What you need:
6 chicken backs bone-in skin on
3 large boneless chicken breasts (cut in halves)
¾ cup flour
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried mint
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp dried tarragon
2 tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
3 tbl butter
¼ cup olive oil (can substitute canola or coconut oil)
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
3 large bay leaves
2 cup pitted black and green olives and garlic cloves in oil (from grocery store deli)
2 whole cloves of garlic (some of skins peeled off)
1 large red bell pepper (leave stem on if there) sliced lengthwise in wide strips
4-6 small sweet peppers sliced in halves (leave stems on)
2 sweet onions cut in medium-size cubes
3 Roma tomatoes cut in lengthwise halves then quarters
10 cherry tomatoes sliced in halves
1 ½ cups chantrelle mushrooms (stems on—can substitute another mushroom type)
3 cups fresh green leaves (thinly sliced kale, watercress, spinach, arugula, etc.)
1/2 lemon zest & juice
What you do:
Wash and pat dry the chicken; sprinkle with 1 tsp sea salt. In a bowl combine the flour and spices, 1 tsp salt and pepper to make a dredge. Coat the chicken backs well and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the olive oil. Let it get hot. Add the chicken backs and pan sear to a golden brown. Add the chicken breasts and pan sear. Deglaze the skillet (leaving chicken in) with the wine scraping up the good stuff from the skillet. Add the chicken broth, blend. Throw in the bay leaves.
Add to the skillet the olives, garlic cloves, peppers and onions. Cover with foil and then a lid. Put in a preheated 275 oven for about 2 ½ hours then add the mushrooms. Scoop some broth on all the veggies and mushrooms. Recover and cook another 30-45 minutes.
About 20-30 minutes before serving, add the greens and mix letting them wilt. Zest & juice the lemon on the dish. Ready to serve!
©alice d’antoni phillips www.allyskitchen.com
