Farro con Pollo

Składniki

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or dried chile flakes

2½ pounds (1.125 kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken parts (6 big chicken thighs work nicely)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup (200 g) uncooked farro

½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine or dry hard cider

1 dried red chile, such as chile de árbol

1 bay leaf

One 3-inch (7.5 cm) sprig rosemary

One 14.5-ounce (410 g) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped (save the juice for another use; it freezes well)

1½ cups (360 ml) chicken broth

Small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley and mint, torn or roughly chopped

Lemon wedges, for serving

Wskazówki

Mix the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and Aleppo pepper together in a small bowl. Trim off any big pockets of chicken fat (and save to use for cooking something delicious). In a large bowl, toss the chicken with half the spice mix, and season with salt and black pepper.

Heat a medium glug of olive oil in a large deep broilerproof skillet or wide Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken pieces in the pan, skin side down, with a comfortable amount of room between them; do this in batches if your pan isn't large enough. Cook until both sides of the chicken are nicely browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate or tray and set aside.

If there's less than about 2 tablespoons of fat left in the pan, add a touch more olive oil. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, and stir and scrape to dissolve any nice browned bits left from cooking the chicken.

Season lightly with salt and stir in the remaining spice mix. Cook until the onion is soft and fragrant but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Add the farro and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium- high, pour in the wine, and add the dried chile, bay leaf, and rosemary. Simmer for a minute or two to let the wine reduce by about half. Add the tomatoes and chicken broth.

Nestle the chicken into the pan, skin side up; adjust the heat to a strong simmer and cover the pan (use foil if your pan doesn't have a lid). Cook until the chicken is fully cooked (the tip of a paring knife will go through easily and the temperature will register at least 170°F/77°C on an instant-read thermometer) and the farro is tender, about 45 minutes.

If the farro is tender but too soupy, turn up the heat and boil, uncovered, for a few minutes to cook off excess liquid. If the farro isn't quite tender but the pan looks dry, add water or broth, cover, and cook until tender.

When the chicken and farro are done to your liking, heat the broiler and adjust a rack so the chicken will be 4 inches below the heating element. Slide the pan under the broiler and broil, turning the pan as needed, until the chicken skin looks nicely bronzed.

Shower the chicken and farro with the herbs and serve with lemon wedges for each diner.

Notatki

Chicken and whole grains make a superb team because chicken's mild flavor doesn't overpower the flavor of the grain, and the ever-thirsty grains drink up all those good chicken juices and fats. My starting point for this dish is the traditional arroz con pollo, of which many Latin cuisines have versions. I'm using farro, but barley would work well. In either case, pearled grains will cook faster than hulled. You may need to finesse the timing a bit, orchestrating the cooking so that all the liquid is absorbed, the grains are fully tender, and the chicken is properly cooked at the same time. Fortunately, chicken thighs are difficult to overcook, so you've got some wiggle room (but don't undercook them!). For chicken breast fans, use breasts on the bone, which will protect against overcooking, always a challenge with breast meat. —Serves 4 to 6