Favorite Quick And Comforting Recipes: Chickpea And Tomato Pilaf And Thai Chicken Thighs With Garlic And Lime

There are several recipes that I turn to when I want to cook something fast, favorites that I can almost cook on autopilot. They're recipes that I find myself craving, so the ease in cooking them doesn't mean that taste is ever sacrificed.  I made both these meals on separate nights this week when I was tired and wanted a comforting meal. 

The first meal is a wonderful Deborah Madison recipe, Pilaf With Tomatoes and Chickpeas, that can be served wrapped in tortillas or alone with cheese sprinkled on top.  This dish tastes best when it's made with freshly picked tomatoes.  But, canned tomatoes are fine too. 

Another recipe that I made was boneless chicken thighs with Thai flavors. I don't like it as much as the pilaf recipe, but I do enjoy the Asian flavors and the generous amount of herbs. Plus, it's low in calories.  Although you have to marinate the chicken for an hour, the actual work to fix this is about 15 minutes.  The marinade is very nice, and includes fish sauce which I urge you to try if you've never done so.  It's a marvelous ingredient that sounds awful to some people.  A small bottle of it usually costs around $3, so give it a try.  You may fall in love with it.  Just remember, there was a time when many people never had soy sauce and wouldn't buy it because it was "strange" to them.  Now most people regard it as a staple item in their pantry. 

I'm just saying.....fish sauce. Think about it.

Chickpea and Tomato Pilaf  (Deborah Madison, The Savory Way)

1 cup long grain white rice
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
3 thyme branches or a pinch of thyme
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped or 1 15 ounce can of tomatoes drained and chopped
1-1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
salt
pepper
2 cups stock, vegetable or chicken
chopped parsley for garnish

Melt butter in a heavy soup pot with the bay leaf, garlic and thyme. Add the tomatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the tomatoes.    Then add the chickpeas and continue cooking until the tomato mixture cooks down into a thick past, 10 to 20 minutes.

Add the stock to the tomatoes and chickpeas and season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil and add the rice.  Cover and reduce heat, cook for about 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice set for undisturbed for 30 minutes.  Then fluff with a fork and add parsley.   

Thai Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Lime        (Food & Wine)

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of all visible fat
Freshly ground pepper
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2-1/2 tablespoons minced cilantro
1-1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped basil
1-1/2 teaspoons finely chopped mint
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Lime wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS
    1.    Season the chicken with pepper. In a bowl, mix the garlic with 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, the fish sauce, brown sugar and chili powder; rub over the chicken and let stand for up to 1 hour.
    2.    In a small bowl, toss the remaining cilantro with the basil and mint. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook over high heat, turning once until cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes. Cut each thigh into 3 or 4 pieces. Transfer the chicken to a platter and scatter the herbs all over. Serve with the lime wedges.
SERVE WITH Brown rice.

One Serving 274 cal, 14 gm fat, 2.7 gm saturated fat, 2 gm carb, 0 gm fiber.

Comments

[Kalyn]

They both sound great to me. I'm a big fan of fish sauce, so I bet I would like this chicken a lot.

[s'kat]

These both sound wonderful, but the pilaf, especially so!

[Susan from Food "Blogga"]

Chickpeas just get along with all kinds of food, don't they? This will be great with tofu as well(I'm a vegetarian).
P.S. After seeing those perky pink tulips, I'll be picking some up at Trader Joe's :)

[Glenna]

Both sound fantastic! And we must have been on the same wave length because I made soup with chickpeas in it today. Great minds think alike.

[Jennifer]

Wow that looks delicious!!

[Kristen]

This looks fantastic!

[gattina]

Sher, you probably remember I don't eat peas (changing in process, hehee...), but I made a couple of your Madison recipes, they're all good! And I'm new in Thai cooking, yours look simple enough for me to manage!

[Julie]

It's alwqys good to hear about things that are quick and easy but still satisfying. Some days -- lots of days -- I don't have the time or energy to spend a long time in the kitchen. Nice to have something easy and delicious for those days.

[e]

Fish sauce really is key. The first time I bought it, I opened it, smelled and it, and was nearly convinced I bought a rancid bottle; it smelled so terrible! But, now I consider it an essential ingredient.

[Anh]

Sher, thanks for another great recipe using chickpea! About fish sauce, I use it everyday in my cooking and personally think it has great flavour. I am Vietnamese and can't live without it! :D

[Callipygia]

Sher- Whenever I hear someone say something is an old standby, I pay attention. We all need something quick, easy and delicious. Thanks for the tip!

[Lisa]

Mmm, that all looks marvelous. The pilaf is right up my alley because I love chickpeas. Will have to try that one. And I'm a big fan of chicken thighs -- so flavorful. Cilantro, mint, garlic, lime? Hmm. I'm all over that little dish, too. Except maybe for the fish sauce. :)

[Pookah]

I love chickpeas and chicken thighs and thai so I think I'll give this a try! Looks great and love your pics.

[mma clothing]

Very cool recipe. I'm going to try this out...I'll let you know how it goes!