Herb-stuffed chicken: Sumac, pistachio, and a handsome look
“Recently I discovered a recipe for pistachioand-herb-stuffed chicken in a 13th-century Arabic cookbook,” said Reem Kassis in
The Arabesque Table: Contemporary Recipes From the Arab World (Phaidon). It felt familiar because I regularly prepared lamb with similar ingredients—“what
Arab pantry doesn’t have pistachio, sumac, and fresh herbs?” But even though that dish was a favorite in our household, the anonymous author of the Kitab al-Wusla ila al-Habib may have had an even better idea. I tried a variation on the 13th-century recipe and discovered that the mild flavor of the chicken allowed the pistachio stuffing to truly shine, and “the contrast of bright green against white was stunning.”
Try experimenting with the greens you use; “each blend will yield a slightly different flavor profile, but all will be delicious.” Mint and cilantro is a combination I return to again and again.
Recipe of the week
Chicken breasts stuffed with pistachio, radish greens, and sumac
For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for frying
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the pistachio stuffing:
1 cup shelled pistachios
1 cup packed mixed green leaves: any combination of radish tops, cilantro, mint, watercress, parsley
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh lime or lemon juice
1 tsp sumac
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
Scant 1 tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Prep the chicken: With the tip of a sharp knife, make a horizontal incision in the fatter side of each chicken breast to create a large pocket, but avoid cutting through; keep the breast intact. Place breasts in a bowl. Add olive oil, pomegranate molasses, salt, and pepper and rub chicken all over— inside and out—with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or up to overnight.
Make the pistachio stuffing: In a mini food processor, combine stuffing ingredients and process into a coarse paste.
Preheat oven to 350.
Spoon stuffing into the chicken breast pockets, using your hands or the back of a spoon to smooth it into an even layer. You can use toothpicks to hold the edges of the breasts together.
In a large cast-iron skillet or ovenproof frying pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. When oil is hot but not smoking, add breasts in a single layer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, flipping only once when chicken easily releases from pan.
Transfer pan to oven and bake until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of the breast registers 165, 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove chicken from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serves 4.