by Susan Hanna
This recipe from NYT Cooking combines savoury chicken with sweet pears and spicy arugula. Rub chicken and pears with ginger and spices and roast on a sheet pan. Scatter the arugula on top and serve. Cook’s note: I served the arugula on the side and did not use sunflower seeds.
Serves 4.
Avoiding Additives and Preservatives
Make sure the spices do not contain colour or anti-caking agents. For more recipes using all-natural ingredients, visit Eye For a Recipe.
Ingredients:
- 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (2 ½ to 3 pounds/1.13 to 1.36 kg)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) red-pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cumin
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) coriander
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) grated fresh ginger from a 2-inch (5-cm) piece
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil
- 2 firm, semi-ripe Bartlett or Bosc pears, cored and quartered lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
- 2 packed cups (500 ml) baby arugula
- 1 lemon, halved
- ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped (optional)
Preparation:
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees F (232 degrees C) with a rack in the center.
- Pat the chicken dry and trim excess fat and skin. Sprinkle all over with 2 teaspoons (10 ml) salt, and season with pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the red-pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, ginger and oil.
- On a sheet pan, rub the chicken and pears all over with the mixture. Arrange chicken skin-side up and pears skin-side down. Cook until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees F/74 degrees C at the thickest part) and the pears are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, add the sunflower seeds to the pan. If there’s a lot of fat when finished cooking, tilt the pan and spoon it off until there’s a light coating on the surface of the pan.
- Scatter the arugula on top and squeeze the juice of ½ lemon over the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with herbs, if using. Cut the remaining lemon half in quarters and serve.
From NYT Cooking
