Sunday Feast № 41 | Latin Braise Coc Co Co Coc, or Coconut Braised Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes

The flavor combination read as perfect. Perfect enough to drown the pages with dribbling saliva.    I might be exaggerating, but mussing up of the pages was involved, followed by quick run through the cupboards and the fridge, and a grab for pen and paper to write a shopping list, to make about a half of the original recipe. Then I spaced out on changing the cooking time when recipes are halved, first time around at least, then I learned fast.    Adapting a recipe from from Food & Wine magazine October 2016 issue to a smaller portion, I went ahead and let it braise in the oven for about an hour the original called for. Now being mindful of the fact that the cooking smells, no matter how divine, after lingering overnight are less so, I opened to kitchen backdoor, and thus effectively removed smell as a cue to check in on the chicken. An hour later, I came back to a broken sauce and a rim of burn where it used to be. However, the chicken and potatoes were fine, and there to prove that my initial impetus to make this dish was absolutely justified. Two days later, I remedied the situation. See below. This one is here to stay as an alternative finish-the-chicken-in-the-oven-"go-to" to Pablo's chicken with potatoes and aioli. And that says something.

1 tbsp canola oil 3-4 chicken thighs with bone in and skin on ~ 2 oz/60 g chorizo crumbled, cubed, or julienne it 1 medium onion thinly sliced ½ tbsp ginger minced 1 garlic clove minced 1 dried chile de árbol broken in half ~ 12 fl oz/355 ml unsweetened coconut milk 1 lb/0.5 kg baking potatoes peeled and cut into 2 in/5 cm pieces 1 tbsp fresh lime juice ½ tbsp unsalted butter Gremolata ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro plus sprigs for garnish ~7 coffee beans finely crushed 2 tsp finely grated lime zest

Preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C. In a large cast-iron casserole/dutch oven, heat the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches if need be, brown chicken over moderate heat, turning occasionally, ~8 min each of the two main sides. You'll figure it out. Transfer the chicken to a large plate. Add chorizo and onion to the casserole and cook until onions are translucent, ~ 5 min. Stir in the ginger, garlic, and chile, and cook until fragrant, ~ 1 min. Add the coconut milk and stir to combine, then add potato pieces and the chicken, and bring all to a simmer. Cover and braise in the oven for ~30 min (longer maybe if more chicken is used), until the chicken is cooked through. Take out and let stand covered for ~15 min. Then stir in the lime juice and butter and season with salt. While the chicken and potatoes are braising, make the gremolata in a small bowl by combining all the ingredients and mixing well. Spoon the braised chicken and potatoes to serve with braising sauce. Garnish with the gremolata and cilantro sprigs and serve with lime wedges.