I feel like I blinked in October and suddenly December is upon us! So before I let any more of the holiday season get away from me, I wanted to post the recipe for my favorite December meal. I make this every year on the winter solstice, but it's so easy to throw together, so fragrant and beautiful, it will make any weeknight festive! The whole spices and fresh basil make the kitchen smell amazing, and when you taste it you will do a happy dance. Or at least, I did!
This recipe comes from The Herbal Kitchen by Jerry Traunfeld, which is a gorgeous book that everyone should check out!
Ingredients
1 frying chicken, about 4-1/2 lbs, cut into 8 pieces without the backbone (I use 4-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts instead.)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced from root end to top
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
one 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained of half the liquid (I used 5 chopped fresh tomatoes instead and about 1/4 cup tomato puree)
three 3-inch cinnamon sticks, preferably "true" cinnamon
3 star anise pods
1-1/2 cups torn leaves of sweet basil or cinnamon basil, gently packed


You can't go wrong with this dish, the slow cooking brings out all the wonderful flavor and aroma of the spices and makes the chicken very tender. And the colors are so beautiful, it will impress all your holiday dinner guests!
Enjoy!
This was wonderful! I grew Cinnamon Basil this year for the first time, and love it! I am going to use the flowers to make herb butter...you have inspired me to find more uses for this herb thanks for sharing!I will definitely make this again and again....
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