Florence Fabricant's Chicken Baked with Lentils

This week marks my sixth week of apartment hunting in Berlin. I took a break the week between Christmas and New Year's and again when I was felled with the stomach flu. But besides that, looking for a place to live has become my new job. And, boy, do I hate this new job. Ooh! With vim and vigor. But who wouldn't? No one, that's who. I can practically see you all nodding your heads in agreement when I say that apartment hunting is the pits. Let me tell you, I'd rather be doing the most mind-numbing data entry in a windowless room than trudging up yet another set of stairs. But as I am 32 years old and I cannot live in my mother's apartment, pulling things out of a suitcase every day, for the rest of my life, I persevere. And I muse upon the fact that I've now spent more time looking for an apartment here than I did in all of my almost ten years in New York City. Ain't that a kick in the head?

Never mind! Instead of complaining, let's talk about nice things, shall we? Like some of the things that make me happy here.

1. Eating Nutella on fresh, yeasty rolls for breakfast. Who over the age of 10 still eats Nutella for breakfast? Well, me. It is delicious, obviously. And can I tell you something scandalous and wonderful? All of my pants are loose! Turns out eating Nutella on a regular basis is great for your waistline.

2. Buying tulips for peanuts. The proximity to Holland, I suppose, makes cut flowers incredibly cheap here. I bought a dozen tulips for my mother the other day, the fancy, frilly kind, for less than 5 euros. Peanuts! And just wait until the ranunculus (ranunculii?) start coming into stores. Fresh flowers every day!

3. Listening to NPR Worldwide on the radio, 104.1 FM to be exact. Hearing Renee Montagne's and Steve Inskeep's familiar voices from my old mornings in Queens during the day in Berlin is strange and lovely at the same time.

4. One word: soccer. Every week.

5. Despite missing my friends in New York and my old life and my awesome, awesome city, I feel peace in my heart here. I'm supposed to be here, even with this apartment hunt and the never ending ice and snow and the cold apartments and the gray skies. I'm home. And that feels good.

You know what else is good? Florence Fabricant's prosaically named Chicken Baked with Lentils. (That may have been the worst transition in the history of this blog. Forgive me? My artistic juice is currently on the lam, though fortunately my mojo seems to have returned.) Lentils and radicchio flavored with sage and cumin, chunks of ham and a splash of vinegar are the stars in this easy braise of golden brown chicken legs. So much more sophisticated than the name indicates, no? And yet it's still easy enough to work as a weekend lunch or a weeknight dinner.

The other day, after a morning of seeing apartments with my mother gamely in tow, now that she's in town for a few weeks, I decided we had to take a break. We needed a hot meal and respite from the icy streets. And I needed to focus on something other than apartments. My obsessive mind needed calming, needed to simply dice onions and boil stock, rather than have another conversation about renovation costs, look at another floor plan, or contemplate another compromise.

So I set about cutting up celery and onions, thin-slicing radicchio, browning cubes of bacon and chicken legs and trying to find my center, not to sound like a total yahoo. And it totally worked! I found it! Turns out it was in the kitchen all along. What a surprise, I know.

Basically, you make this deeply flavored base for the dish, using bitter radicchio, mellow bacon, herbal sage, a kick of vinegar, earthy cumin, and onions and celery for good measure. Then you stir in lentils and lay browned chicken legs (or just thighs, whichever) on top, and cook the lot in the oven for an hour, until the liquid is mostly absorbed, the lentils are plump and bursting with flavor, and the chicken is so moist and tender it practically slides off the bone onto your fork in one fell swoop.

It's not much to look at, I suppose, from the point of view of an aesthete. But as with a lot of peasant food, I think its beauty is special precisely because you have to look twice to see it. Once you do, it's hard to avoid. The gravel-like lentils, shining like little planets in the sky of the plate. The golden tones of the chicken, skin puckered and delicate as a lace shawl. The chunks of bacon, rosy-hued and glowing with flavor.

Florence says to serve this with mashed potatoes, but it was so hearty we found it didn't even need a side. Just a deep plate, a big fork, an appetite, and a hankering for comfort. Delicious.

Chicken Baked with Lentils
Serves 4 to 6

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta or bacon, in one slice, diced
3 pounds chicken thighs, 6 to 8 pieces, patted dry
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery, about 1 rib
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cups finely chopped radicchio, about 1/2 head, cored
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
2 cups lentils
3 cups chicken stock, more if needed

1. Heat oil in a 4-quart ovenproof casserole. Add pancetta and cook on medium until golden. Remove. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add, skin side down. Sear until golden on medium-high heat, working in two shifts if necessary. Remove from pan. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan.

2. Add onions, celery and garlic, cook on medium until soft and translucent. Stir in cumin. Add radicchio, vinegar and sage; sauté briefly. Add lentils, stock and cooked pancetta.

3. Return chicken to pan, bring to a simmer, cover and place in oven. Cook about an hour, until lentils are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, but not all. Lentils should be saucelike but not soupy. Add a little stock if needed. Check seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed, then serve.

Comments

[Merry & Mod]

Also, you just refered to 'chichen skin puckered and delicate as a lace shawl.' I think we're kindred spirits.

[Cathy]

I still eat Nutella for breakfast (and I'm pushing 50). My pants, alas, are not loose. Enjoy your high metabolism while it lasts. And good luck with the apartment hunt. Something will turn up. It always does.

[Karen]

This might be poor commenting etiquette (I sure hope not!) but I actually wanted to send a big "YUM!" your way for a past recipe that I finally got around to making last night - the braised tilapia. Hoo-boy, was it delicious! So easy and the fish cooks perfectly. I'm bookmarking that one, for sure. Thank you!

[heather]

you should look for a kitchen, and then just take the apartment thats with it

[Martha]

Could not agree more re: Nutella as weight loss vehicle. When I lived in Italy I too consumed it for breakfast daily spread on toast, and yes I was in my 20s at that point.

Low and behold, I was my sveltest self!

[Lisa]

Very tasty recipe! I cut it down some b/c it's just for me and left out the sage b/c I don't care for it, but I will be making this again! P.S. I also make fried potatoes with thyme-sherry onions all the time.

[Jenn (www.j3nn.net)]

Hi,

I'm Jenn from Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog -- your blog is wonderful! Love the photos and the recipes.

I love lentils, I have some black beluga lentils, I wonder if they would go with this dish? I should find out! :)

Jenn

[Uncle Bob]

I made your recipe last night and it was, in a word, wonderful. I didn't have radicchio handy, but being blessed to live in southern California where we can grow veggies all year round, I harvested some red cabbage which worked very well. The whole dish was unctious and comforting. The chicken thigh skin stayed crisp and the meat was fall-off-the-bone tender. It has been added to my personal cookbook.

Good luck on finding the perfect apartment. I'm sure it will happen soon. Also, keep remembering that spring is just around the corner and even Germany will warm up soon.

I love your blog. It's one of the first sites I check out every time I boot up my computer. I'm always cheered up a bit when I see a new post from you.

[tobias cooks!]

this one i will try as soon as lent is over.

[rach]

delicious stuff for these colds days ( really cold; snow in Rome for the first time in 24 years, people were hysterical, running around waving hands in the air)
I like the addition of raddichio...

[French Cooking for Dummies]

I must confess I'm (way) over 10 years old and I do eat Nutella for breakfast as well ;) Nice recipe. I love lentils, this is on my to-cook list now!

[Luisa]

Irina - thanks for the Fuchsbau tip! Love having places to try in Kreuzberg.

Genia - yes, dried! I don't think I've ever even seen fresh lentils... I used little brown ones, but you could use green ones, too. Brown ones are cheaper usually.

Sally - nope! Some recipes have you soak them, but I on principle don't soak lentils and have never had a problem.

Karen - I'm thrilled that you liked that recipe! Thanks for letting me know.

Jenn - try them and let us know! I think black lentils have a slightly...clearer flavor than brown ones do.

Uncle Bob - that is so nice to hear. Thank you!!

Rach - I can only imagine i romani in the snow. Hilarity! Thank goodness for all those fur coats... ;)

[Anna]

Thanks for this recipe! I made this last night, and my husband immediately said how good he thought it was, but then worked up to a crescendo of oohs and aahs. He really loved this, and so did I. It isn't glamourous-looking, but absolutely delicious and perfect for this time of year. It paired so well with some sautéed green chard with just a bit of sliced garlic and a splash of vinegar to brighten the flavor of the chicken & lentils.

[vanessa joie]

Apartment hunting can be SO frustrating. I hope you find something great soon.

Thank you so much for this recipe! I had to make dinner for a family of six and as a single person this isn't something I can just whip up. This recipe was so easy and more importantly delicious. Thank you thank you. I can't say enough good things about it.

[Kemp]

My usually well-stocked grocer was out of radicchio, so I made the dish using finely diced carrots instead. What a delicious, comforting dish! Can't wait to make it again when the radicchio is back on the shelf. Thank you, thank you.

[Annie Browne]

What a wonderful adventure you're on! I'm so very jealous...maybe I'll create a European cooking experience right here in California. Too bad we don't have cheap tulips. Hmmm...I'll find something...

[Judith]

I've never eaten lentils before and I was really happy that I loved them so much. It was a great dish to break in my new le creuset!

[Gracessweetlife.blogspot.com]

I belong to the over 10 nutella eating group and so proud of it. I thought maybe it was time to stop my little nutella indulgence because I wasn't a kid anymore. So nice to hear that I am not the only one and now I can stop feeling so quilty.

p.s love your blog, just starting mine and if I can figure out the layout set-up I am hoping to start posting this week. My goal to be blogging this weekend has yet to come to fruition. I must say it would be nice if there was a quick way to get the design up & running for people who are not computer saavy!

All the best,

Grace

[RDruitt]

I'm a Canadian currently living in the hot Aussie summer...I took advantage of a rare cool and overcast day to cook this up and feel like I was back in my cozy winter kitchen...replaced the white wine at dinner with some red and we loved it! Also, I was overjoyed to find my fave Puy lentils to use...awesome dish...thank you.

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[Gillian]

Would the lentils cooked if the dish was uncovered? Why not, right? 300 degrees is 300 degrees. I'm thinking of laying the chicken on a bed of lentils-n-stock-n-etc. in, like, a lasagna pan. Then the chicken skin could crisp up, and I could skip the whole browning step. But only if the lentils will cook....

[Luisa]

Gillian - that is the difference between baking and braising: using the lid. Without the lid, you'll need a lot more liquid because it will evaporate in the heat of the oven instead of remaining inside the pot and both steaming and cooking the lentils. This dish just doesn't offer crispy chicken skin - there's too much liquid no matter if you bake or braise. However, I suppose you could fry up the chicken in a separate fry pan, cook the lentils in the oven and then serve the two together...