Community Magazine December 2013

86 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Savory Chicken with Papaya Salsa T H C H I C K I T C H E N ESTHER DEUTSCH Who says easy can't b e fabulous? Esther Deutsch, author of CHIC Made Simple shares her philosophy: If your food looks irresistible - it tastes as such. Her recipes are designed to look – and taste – like gourmet cuisine. Yet the recipes are so easy, they take just minutes. BIG, BOLD flavors define this chicken recipe. It’s sufficiently savory to appeal to adults, but delicately spiced to accommodate children. For palates that prefer more heat, double the quantities of black pepper and cayenne pepper. Preparing a large batch of the spice rub will make this dish effortless to prepare in the future. Coriander, one of the featured seasonings in the spice rub, is the dried seed of cilantro. Its flavor is reminiscent of citrus peel. Toasting the coriander seeds and then coarsely grinding them gives the chicken an appealingly rustic look and an intense, fragrant flavor, but you can also use conventional ground coriander. Boneless chicken thighs make for a more elegant presentation, but you may also use standard chicken quarters for this recipe. Credit for the papaya salsa goes to chef Aviv Mosovich. Ingredients: • 4 boneless chicken thighs, skin intact, or 4 chicken quarters • Thai sweet chili sauce (optional) SPICE RUB • 1 tsp. onion powder • ½ tsp. chili powder • 1 tsp. kosher salt • ½ tsp. cumin • 1 tsp. garlic powder • 1 tsp. brown sugar • 1 tsp. coriander • ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper • ⅛ tsp. black pepper PAPAYA SALSA • 1 cup tomatoes, finely diced • 1 cup papaya (1 papaya), finely diced • ½ small red onion, finely diced • 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped • 1 lemon, juiced • 1 tsp. oil • Kosher salt • Fresh black pepper • Dash cayenne pepper Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the spice rub and rub it on both sides of the chicken to coat. Bake, uncovered, skin-side up, 45 minutes for boneless chicken thighs and 1½ hours for chicken quarters. 2. To prepare the salsa: In a bowl, combine all the salsa ingredients. Serve the chicken warm, with the salsa and the sweet chili sauce on the side, if desired. Serves 4