MTAL #9

This is a Rachael Ray recipe that I've adapted to be an Asher-friendly meal. Her original recipe calls for beer to be the braising liquid (which you could still use if you buy wheat-free beer) but I swapped that out because, as I have mentioned before, I'm scared of the liquor section of the grocery store.

Braised Chicken Thighs with veggies
adapted from Rachael Ray

2 Tbsp flour (oat, barley, gluten-free all purpose, etc)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice
8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 lbs)
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, half finely chopped and half thinly sliced
1 cup beef broth (Kitchen Basics brand is Asher-safe)
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch matchsticks
1/2 lb green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and allspice. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin side down and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to a plate. Discard all but 1 Tbsp fat from the skillet. Add the chopped onion to the skillet and cook until softened, 3 minutes. Stir in the broth, scraping up any browned bits.
   
2. Return the chicken to the pan, lower the heat, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a platter; tent with foil. Boil the liquid in the liquid in the skillet for 2 minutes to reduce slightly. Whisk 2 Tbsp oil (or a combination of soy milk and oil whisked together if you have soy milk available).
3. Meanwhile, in a pot heat the remaining 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the carrots, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the green beans and 3 Tbsp water, cover and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Serve the vegetables topped with chicken and sauce.

Serves 4.

The final product: homey and delicious. As Asher-friendly meals go, this is surprisingly close to the real thing, even with all the swap-outs. The sauce, while it originally called for lots of butter, is still quite good. The coating on the chicken is a tad mushier than it's wheat-flour counterparts but is still quite tasty and satisfying. The vegetables are what I really adored with this meal. They are simple but highly addictive. What Asher (and Tyler) didn't finish, I scooped right up and devoured myself. Enjoy!