Turmeric-Sumac Chicken

This semester’s schedule has proven to be incredibly busy, as I had anticipated. But what I didn’t anticipate, was how little time I would have. For anything. Sleeping. Cooking. Blogging. Socializing. Getting homework done. But I suppose such is the life of a grad student. To cope with the business of my schedule, I’ve been trying to make a batch of chicken (or other food) on Sunday, which I can then pair with anything during the week. I can take salads or sandwiches to work, make rice, bulgur or quinoa in the evening, sautée some vegetables, and bam! there’s a meal. Well, if I only I could really say “bam” and have the food materialize.

One of my recent chicken concoctions involved turmeric and sumac as the main ingredients. I defrosted a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and marinated them with salt, pepper, lemon, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and sumac, The flavor was much better than I was anticipating! The few spices–coriander and cumin–mixed with citrus flavors–lemon and sumac, was fantastic, and almost refreshing. But then again, I love all things citrus. To accompany the chicken, I sautéed a bunch of vegetables that I had on hand–spinach, tomatoes, colored peppers, mushrooms. And….a side of cheese, as usual.

Ingredients

About 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken thighs (breast is fine)

1 lemon, squeezed

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp coriander

2 tsp sumac

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

1/2 tbs oil

Directions

Chop the boneless skinless chicken thighs into small cubes or pieces. Pour the lemon juice over the chicken, and mix. Add the remaining spices. The chicken will taste best if it is left to marinate for a few hours. But if you are in a rush (as we all are more often than not), the chicken can be cooked immediately.

Heat the oil for about a minute. Add the chicken to the heated oil, and cook on medium-high heat. If your pan is small, cook the chicken in two batches. The chicken should be cooked within 10 minutes. Serve alongside rice, a grain, vegetables, bread, or any other food that you prefer. Enjoy!