Coconut-Braised Chicken with Chickpeas and Lime by Alison Roman

I’ll admit I came to this recipe with a bit of healthy skepticism. An Indian-Korean fusion dish sounded nice in theory, but could gochujang and cumin really go well together? Thank goodness it’s in Alison we trust (at least when it comes to cooking). I didn’t have to taste this dish to know my doubts were laid to rest. I simply had to smell it… 

This recipe calls for a mix of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts. Instead of trying to cut up a whole chicken myself this time, I bought 1.7 pounds each of legs and breasts. Which turned out to be a good call. With so much rich coconut milk, a darker meat, like thighs, would have felt too heavy. The whiter meat soaked in the fatty coconut and strong spices nicely. But I’m getting ahead of myself… 

The first twenty minutes were spent browning the chicken in my dutch oven, trying to render as much fat as possible. Sadly, much of the skin stuck to my pot, ripping off the skin as I took it out. I kept the heat at medium, like Alison says, and used canola oil too. Perhaps it’s my pot? Maybe the heat was still too high? 

With the chicken browned and the fat rendered, the chicken lies in waiting on a plate while garlic and onion spend time softening in the fat. Then joins the spice brigade: gochujang (Korean chili paste -- find this at Whole Foods or H-Mart), ginger (freshly grated), turmeric (I used the ground kind), cumin, and red pepper flakes. This is one powerful combination, and each spice is essential to the end result, adding dynamic heat, floral and earthy tones, and acidic tang (gochujang is fermented). The spices took no time at all to become fragrant. I added two cans of coconut milk next, along with chicken broth. I’ve recently taken after my pal Margaret and stopped buying cartons of chicken broth. Instead, I bought a Costco-sized jar of Better Than Bouillion and add one teaspoon at a time to boiling water before I start any recipe that requires chicken broth. It takes no time at all to make my own, plus it’s more fridge-space efficient and environmentally friendly! 

I submerged the chicken in the liquid, and sprinkled in a drained can of chickpeas. Now for the fun part: put on the lid and walk away. Forty-five minutes later, the smells of spice and coconut are frankly irresistible. But the stew needs more time. I removed the lid and let everything simmer for another half hour. You’ll know it’s ready when the chicken meat can practically fall off the bone with the smallest nudge. 

Toppings can make or break a dish. Good thing Alison’s suggestions make this dish a hundred times better: namely lime juice (use it liberally), fresh cilantro (sprinkle it freely), and thinly sliced red onions (enjoy). These three elements elevated the dish from being too heavily dominated by the coconut milk and chicken fat. I made the effort to chop up more for leftovers too – they’re that essential. For the record, Alison suggests fish sauce and peanuts as well, but I felt they were unnecessary. 

This dish is hands-down in my top three Alison-chicken dishes. It requires moderate effort and skill for such flavorful and filling results. Plus, I’m a huge fan of Indian and Korean flavors, so it’s no surprise that this dish won me over. The other top two are her Slow-Roasted Oregano Chicken with Buttered Tomatoes (no surprise there), and Crispy Chicken Legs with Rosemary, Tiny Potatoes, and Sour Cream. I also love when a dish makes enough for leftovers. Quick tip: before storing the rest in a container, try separating all of the chicken from the bones. It takes about ten minutes, but it makes eating leftovers effortless, and less messy. You’ll thank yourself later. 

140 recipes cooked, 85 to go.

Baked Eggs with Chorizo, Chickpeas, and Bread Crumbs by Alison Roman

As I lay in bed this morning, I thought about the day ahead. Admittedly I have very few things to accomplish today – I’m on vacation in Colorado. One item on my short to-do list is making this dish. We already bought all of the ingredients and it’s our last full morning here; today’s the day to do it. But I felt tired and not super jazzed about spending 45 minutes cooking breakfast. I could feel perfectly satisfied with just some eggs and toast. 

And yet, every time I make an Alison recipe that I’m not necessarily in the mood for, it’s as if I can hear her say, “do you trust me?” 

My answer is always “yes.” It’s part of my Rules, and that answer hasn’t led to disappointment yet. 

Well, today’s “yes” was surely rewarded – this meal is amazing. I’ll take you through a brief step by step… 

Diced onion, cumin and chorizo spend the first few minutes together, softening and sharing flavor. This recipe calls for dry chorizo, and try as I did, I couldn’t find it. So I used wet pork chorizo instead. No way of telling if that severely altered anything, but let’s just say that I didn’t notice anything wrong. 

Next, diced fresh tomato joins the pan and cooks until it releases its juices and softens nicely. Then, a can of chickpeas and a bit of water go into the pan to simmer until the liquid reduces substantially. Alison instructs you to break the chickpeas a bit with your spatula, which helps them cook faster and turn out softer for eating purposes. 

Meanwhile, and this is the most ingenious part of the recipe in my opinion, Alison has you make her Spicy Bread Crumbs, which are just fresh bread crumbs fried in oil and aleppo pepper. This step was crucial to the overall texture of the dish. Without the crunchy breadcrumbs, the final thing is a softer, dare I say mushy, mixture that is, yes, delicious, but wanting in variety. Bread crumbs are the answer to this, and therefore cannot be skipped. 

With most of the liquid evaporated, four pockets are created in the pan and an egg fills each one. The pan is supposed to bake in the oven so that the eggs can cook, but none of the pans available in our cabin were oven-safe. Instead, I turned the stove’s heat down to medium-low and covered the pan to steam-cook the eggs. This worked perfectly, and only took about 6 minutes! Before plating I sprinkled the bread crumbs and fresh parsley over the top. 

This breakfast thoroughly exceeded all my expectations. The flavors and textures were vibrant, but not overpowering. It felt filling and satisfying, but not heavy. It paired perfectly with sliced avocado. 

Next time I have someone over for brunch, I will make this – without hesitation. 

75 recipes cooked, 150 to go. (ONE THIRD OF THE WAY TO MY GOAL!)

Frizzled Chickpeas with Onions and Feta by Alison Roman

They’re not sizzled. They’re not fried. They’re frizzled. And they’re delicious. 

There are so many recipes for crispy chickpeas in the world. Even Alison has more than one. Most of them use oven roasting as the crisping method. A few use the pan fry. But Alison has declared, with reasonable assurance, that the way to cook chickpeas is the frizzle. (And all the Magic School Bus fans say, AMEN.) A cooking method of frying chickpeas in sizzling oil. 

The best feature of this dish--the crispiness of the chickpeas-- is only rivaled by the crispiness of the sliced red onion. Who doesn’t love crispy onions? 

The process is straightforward. A half cup of olive oil (yes, you need that much) is heated over medium-hight in a large skillet. First the onions and garlic get sizzly and soft, before the sprigs of fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, and two cans of chickpeas join the party. The frizzle method still takes a bit of time. I probably left them on the skillet for at least 15 minutes, shaking frequently so they didn’t burn. The final touch is my favorite dairy topping, feta cheese. 

I’ve made this dish twice now, once with Alison’s One-Pot Chicken with Lemon and Dates and the other time with Alison’s Skillet Chicken with Olives and Sumac. It’s a reliable side that would go well with pretty much anything. And I usually have the ingredients on hand, so it’s an easy fix if I need one more piece to a meal. I also think it would make a lovely snack.

38 recipes cooked, 187 to go.

Crispy Chickpeas and Lamb with Greens and Garlicky Yogurt by Alison Roman

Yes, this was my first time EVER cooking lamb. Yes, I’m now shocked that I waited so long. I’ll break this mouth-watering dish down by the five unique and totally necessary elements that make it up: ground lamb, crispy chickpeas, sauteed greens, fresh tomatoes, and garlicky yogurt. 

Ground lamb. It took a little time, but I eventually found some at Holy Land. The meat is cooked in a skillet with spices, just how I’d cook any other ground meat. So simple, yet I felt some exhilaration while pushing the meat around in the pan. Already this project has forced me to cook with so many new (to me) ingredients. Every time I use one, I feel a spark of inner joy, knowing that I’m choosing to risk a small failure and courageously choosing to do the thing anyway. For someone who is as afraid of failure as I am, (hello, Enneagram 3), this kind of daily exercise has been good for me. 

Crispy chickpeas. I’ve tried making crispy chickpeas in the past by way of oven-roasting. They can take a while and it’s hard to strike the right balance between too soft and too hard. Alison’s method took less time and less work. She has you crisp up the chickpeas in the same pan used to cook the lamb with a good bit of vegetable oil. You know they’re done when they appear golden on all sides. The chickpeas gave a great salty crunch to the dish, counterbalanced by the briefly warmed greens. 

I chose a fresh bunch of swiss chard for my greens. There’s something so appealing about their bright pink stems! I loved the way she has you cook them: stems and leaves separated, stems thinly sliced and sauteed until just tender but still crisp on the inside, and leaves until just wilting but not totally limp. After eating a ton of soggy swiss chard in my college cafeteria, this cooking method gave me hope for more chard in my future. 

Fresh tomatoes are not something I would have thought to include, and I almost didn’t. I’m so glad I kept them in. They brought a brightness and element of refreshment that counterbalanced the rather oily nature of the lamb, chickpeas and greens. 

At the base of the plate is a simple garlicky yogurt with lemon juice. This creamy, slightly acidic spread brought everything together really nicely. 

J asked that I add this recipe to “our rotation.” I told him yes, but first, I need to make 212 other Alison Roman recipes ;). 

14 recipes cooked, 211 recipes to go.