Grilled Chicken and Carrots over Green Lentils
Ingredients
- 2 lb. chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1 tbps. cumin
- 1 tbsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. ground mustard
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 c. green lentils
- 3 c. chicken stock
- 3-6 cloves of garlic, to taste
- 1 1/2 lb. carrots
- 1 medium yellow onion
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper to taste
Method
Trim the chicken a bit. Often, supermarket chicken thighs have extra skin hanging overside and you can cut that out. After trimming, cut the chicken on the opposite side of the skin, along the bone. This helps the chicken get done more evenly.
Coat the chicken with with the spices (paprika, cumin, turmeric, mustard, cayenne, and garlic powder). Also, add some salt to help draw out some moisture. Let the chicken sit out for about 20 minutes. It'll be fine.
Maybe get your grill going right now. Gas is fine here, but if you feel inspired then fire up some charcoal.
Slice the garlic. You can mince if you like, but I feel slicing is a better approach with this dish. When you're ready, heat some olive oil in a saucepan. Toss the garlic in and fry it briefly. Do not burn it.
Add the lentils and coat with the oil. Then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid.
Get the chicken over heat on the grill. Brush some oil over the carrots and salt them liberally. Put themm over the heat as well. Resist the tempation to peel the carrots; the skins will crisp up and the flesh will get soft and sweet.
Slice the onion thinly, and toss with oil. Grill in a grill basket or, if you don't have one, a cast iron skillet.
Flip the chicken occasionally, and grill to at least 160°F but go as high as 185°F. Chicken thighs have a lot of connective tissue that should probably break down at high heat. Also, flip the carrots to get a good char. If the carrots get too charred, move them to a cooler area of the grill.
The lentils are done when there is little liquid left and the lentils are very tender. If the lentils are tender but there is too much liquid, increase the heat and reduce the lentils to desired thickness.
Spread the lentils on a serving platter. Cut the carrots on the bias because it looks cool, and add about half of them over the lentils, randomly. Cut up the chicken into slices and put that over the lentils. Add the rest of the carrots and then cover with the charred onions. Pour some good olive oil over top and serve family style.
Notes
I do some chicken thighs in various ways, but I was looking for something different from what I usually do. I decided to explore a bit with some green lentils that I had, and came up with this dish. I love the family style presentation of this dish, but it could be served as individual sides or plated individually if you like.