Fall-into this HOTT dish

Wellllllllcome Back. Welcome back, welcome back, Hot Dish is back!! And we're approx. ONE YEAR OLD!!!

I really missed all of you on our long summer hiatus. While I've always said there is nothing like a good meaty grilled meal the truth is that I always look forward to coming back inside, heating up the kitchen, putting on a cozy apron and cooking my heart out.
The flavors of fall are so delectable and warm my soul up as much as the turning of the leaves and pumpple picking (pumpkin/apple picking...they're both so good!).

Below you will find the recipe I made for dinner tonight which had fall written all over it. For one, it requires stove top braising which is a HOT DISH as well as warm tasty flavors such as cinnamon, dates, cumin, and olives. Another testament to the warmth of these flavors lie in the fact that this is a chicken dish which I usually consider a white wine opportunity...however the palate called for a full-bodied Malbec!

I am pulling this recipe from the latest issue of Cooking light (my love for this mag. never gets old). It is called "Chicken with Dates, Olives, and Cinnamon" which is descriptive but lackluster. Dan re-dubbed it "Date me a chicken".

Serves 6 (serving=2 thighs and 1/2 c. sauce)

Ingredients:
-12 Bone-in chicken thighs, skinned (at this part I felt like Julia Childs! Where's my pearls?)
-1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
-1/8 tsp. Kosher salt
-2 Tbsp. Butter, divided
-2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
-4 c. sliced onion
-1 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
-18 pitted manzanilla or large green olives, quartered
-2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
-1 tsp. ground cumin (okay, the recipe only calls for 3/4 tsp. but I put more in!!)
-1/2 tsp. ground coriander
-1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (cayanne baby)
-1 3inch Cinnamon stick
-2 c. chicken broth
-1/2 c. whole pitted dates, chopped
-3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (i accidently did not use this ingredient and the dish did not suffer at all, but I'm sure it would be a worthwhile addition)
-1/4 C. fresh basil leaves

Okay, here's the directions. You'll be at this for about an hour and possibly a few minutes more, but it will be worth it.

1. Sprinkle chicken w/ pepper and salt. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a good braising pan over medium-high heat. (I used my 12 inch cast iron pan which proved just a bit too small once all the chicken was simmering, but did the trick with a lid on. Cooking Light (CL) reccomends a 10-quart dutch oven. Crossing my fingers that santa will bring me a le creuset dutch oven in the future!)

Add 1 Tbsp. oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add half of the chicken thighs to pan and cook 4 mins on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan to rest until later. Repeat (adding butter and oil) for the rest of the chicken thighs.

2. Add Onion and ginger to pan (ps: i also added about 5 carrots here...maybe thats why I didnt have much room at the end. I thought they were necessary, but I'm sure you can live without them. FUN FACT: Wegmans organic carrots last about an eon in your crisper drawer if you dont think you'll use a whole bag right off the bat, don't sweat it. I think I had these babies for most of the summer--I KNOW, obscene--but they werent even leaky or growing things at the time of this recipe).

Saute for 8 mins. stirring frequently (think yummy caramelized onions...ahhhh). Add olives, saute for 1 min. Add Flour, cumin, coriander, red pepper and cinnamon stick, stir to coat and then add broth. Bring mixture to boil, stirring constantly, and loosen any browned bits on the bottom (extra flavor, yo!). Cook for 1 min. Return chicken to pan. Cover and reduce heat to low, cooking 12 mins. Stir in dates and simmer 10 more mins or until chicken is done (technically this should be 180 degrees but you'll know when its done. Feel free to simmer longer if you're worried. The juices and bones will keep it all nice and moist. Stir in the lemon juice here (totally missed this the first time around) and garnish with fresh basil.

BON APPETIT! I served this over egg noodes. CL suggests couscous, but what ever you have will work. Also, I took the time (you can do this while the chicken is in its last few mins of simmering...i had lots of liquid) to reduce some of the liquid and strain the fat off of it, creating a gravy like sauce to pour over the plate. Not necessary but SO NECESSARY.

Glad to be back, get postin' you Hott dishers! I know you have it in you :D.

<3 Megan Mae