Dinner Tonight: Chicken with spinach

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Madhur Jaffrey writes, "Here is [one] of my party favorites, as it is quite easy to prepare."

Chicken with Spinach

Slightly adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, published by Alfred A. Knopf.

4 pounds chicken pieces

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 medium onions, coarsely cut up

one 2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

6 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon red paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

5 tablespoons oil

two 2" cinnamon sticks

8 whole cardamom pods

10 ounces fresh spinach, chopped

Spread the chicken out in a single layer and sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and lots of black pepper on both sides.

Put the onions, ginger, garlic, paprika, and cayenne into a food processor and, using a fast start-and-stop method, chop all the ingredients as finely as possible, stopping short of making a puree.

Put the oil into a wide, heavy pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cinnamon and cardamom. Let them sizzle for a few seconds. Now put in as much chicken as will fit easily in a single layer, and brown on both sides. Remove to a bowl, leaving the whole spices behind. Brown all the chicken this way in batches.

Then put the onion mixture into the pan, turning heat down to medium. Stir and fry for 4-5 minutes, until most of the liquid has dried up. Add the spinach and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir and fry another 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup water, and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer gently for 25 minutes, turning the chicken pieces over gently a few times.

Serve with rice.

Serves 6.