This fragrant chicken stew is a mash-up of Central and South American ingredients—coconut, Mexican chorizo, cilantro, lime—that Top Chef winner CJ Jacobson came across while traveling.
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 6 whole chicken legs - 2 pounds
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- ½ pound fresh Mexican chorizo
- 1 onion - thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 1 dried chile de árbol - broken in half
- 3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 pound baking potatoes - peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice - plus lime wedges for serving
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Gremolata:
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro - plus sprigs
- 7 coffee beans - finely crushed (½ teaspoon)
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
Instructions
Season the chicken:
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place on a rack in a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate, uncovered, for up to 24 hours.
Brown the chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil.
- Working in 2 batches, brown the chicken over moderate heat, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes per batch.
- Transfer the chicken to a large plate.
Cook the chorizo and aromatics:
- Add the chorizo and onion to the casserole and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the ginger, garlic and chile and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Braise the chicken:
- Add the coconut milk, potatoes and chicken to the casserole and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and braise in the oven for about 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through.
While the chicken braises, make the gremolata:
- In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
Finish and serve:
- When the chicken is finished braising, stir in the lime juice and butter and season with salt.
- Spoon the braised chicken and potatoes into shallow bowls.
- Garnish with the gremolata and cilantro sprigs and serve with lime wedges.