Green Chutney Braised Chicken

Ingredients

1/4 cup roasted cashews or peanuts (see headnote)

1/3 cup warm water

2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus ¼ cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, divided

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh mint

3 serrano chilies, stemmed and seeded

5 medium garlic cloves, 2 smashed and peeled, 3 minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger, divided

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons coconut oil or neutral oil

1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 medium red or orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped

3 12- to 14-ounce bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, trimmed, skin removed and discarded, halved crosswise

Directions

To make the chutney, in a blender, combine the nuts and water; let stand to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the 2 cups cilantro, the mint, chilies, the smashed garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, the lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth, scraping the blender jar as needed, 1 to 2 minutes; set aside.

In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until barely smoking. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the bell pepper, the minced garlic and the remaining 1 tablespoon ginger, then cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add half of the chutney and ¾ cup water; bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits, then nestle the chicken into the sauce. Cover, reduce to medium-low and cook, occasionally stirring and flipping the chicken, until the center of the thickest piece reaches 160°F, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in the remaining chutney and cook over medium-low, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Off heat, taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with cilantro leaves.