Curry Chicken and Chickpeas

The past month has been a blur. There was the end of the school year with all its usual bustle, anxiety, and  lack of sleep. There were friends’ graduations, full of happy endings and bittersweet goodbyes. There was a lovely trip to Corvallis, Oregon to visit friends with whom I had studied abroad five years ago. There was the beginning of a new internship, which has proved to be awesome.  There was a renewed dedication to exercising, in which my roommates and I have been faithfully participating. And sadly, there was loss too. But that’s what makes life so interesting, isn’t it? With the ups and down, the bustle and the calm, we never quite know what will be next. “The road goes every on and on, down from the door where it began…” (Cheers to people who recognize the quote!)

Given all of these events, I have spent much less time cooking than I would like. Though, I did spend a fair amount of time baking this past week: oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, muachaka, pistachio-cardamom-rose water waffles, and crepes. I think my co-workers like me.

Earlier this week, I decided it was time to cook something interesting for the week. No more cheese tehkratha (they are absolutely delicious). Or sandwiches. Or salad. (Don’t get me wrong, I love salad, but I wanted something a bit more exciting).  I defrosted some chicken thighs, grabbed a can of chickpeas, chopped some tomatoes, onions, and pepper, and voila! A scrumptious dinner was made.

Overall, I’m really happy with this recipe. I ended up eating the chicken and chickpeas with some sauteed vegetables, but the meal would have been equally delicious with some rice, bulgur, quinoa or any other grain that you prefer. A few changes I would make: 1) I thought that a whole can of chickpeas would be too much, so I used half. I would definitely use the whole thing next time. There is no such thing as too many chickpeas cooked in curry with tomatoes. 2) add more chopped tomatoes or use a can of diced tomatoes. Add more colored peppers (I only had half a pepper in the fridge)

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (or half a can)

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 and 1/2 tsp curry

2 tbs lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs. In a large frying pan, place the chicken thighs on low-medium heat. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. (If you poke the chicken with a fork or knife, and the juices run clear, that’s a good sign that your chicken is cooked)

Remove the chicken thighs from the pan and set aside. Add the chopped onions and cook until tender. Add the curry and cook with the onions for a few minutes.

Add the chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, chopped red pepper, lemon juice,  and cooked chicken to the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat and serve alongside bulgur, vegetables, salad or anything else you prefer. Bon appétit!