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Meat
Easy
4 Servings
Allergens 
No Allergens specified
1 Hour
Diets
If turmeric is the workhorse of our spice cabinet, this dead simple and flavorful turmeric chicken dish is the workhorse of our weeknights. It’s the dish Drew consistently makes for the girls whenever I travel, and it’s the dish my mother would prepare when she didn’t want to think about what to cook. Everyday Turmeric Chicken is as perfect for a weeknight meal as it is for an impromptu dinner party. You can take the meat off the drumsticks when serving or serve on the bone, as we do, so the kids (and the adults) can gnaw on and suck out all the lovely mustardy yellow and lemony juices. You can ask your butcher to remove the chicken skin or do it yourself easily: hold the bottom of the drumstick with a paper towel with one hand as you slip the skin off with a paper towel with the other hand. Use this recipe as your canvas and add to it as you like. A few sprigs of rosemary can add a fresh, earthy note, or stir in a little tomato paste (maybe with a little more water) for a richer red sauce. Put on a simple kateh-style steamed rice or Sheveed Polo—Dill Rice, or toss together a quick ends-and-bits salad, and call it a night.
10 skinless chicken drumsticks (about 3 pounds)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (plus more as needed)
1/4 teaspoon ground Gefen Black Pepper (plus more as needed)
3 tablespoons Gefen Olive Oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
splash of Baron Herzog Chenin Blanc or other white wine (optional, if you happen to have some open)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon plus more)
parsley, as a garnish (optional)
Make a couple of slits in the flesh of each drumstick. This allows the drumsticks to cook faster and for all the flavors to seep in. In a bowl, season the drumsticks with the turmeric, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
In a large pan with a lid (12-inch works well), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, sprinkle with a little salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about eight minutes. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes. Splash with the wine (if using).
Add the drumsticks to the pan. It’s okay if they overlap a little, just scoot them around once in a while. Cook until the chicken takes on a little color, about three minutes on each side. Add the lemon juice and a scant 1/4 cup hot water. Turn the chicken pieces in the sauce to coat all sides, and scrape up all the crispy bits.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer, turning once in a while, until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 35 minutes. Taste as it cooks and make delicious. More salt, pepper, lemon juice? Garnish with parsley, if using, and serve.
Excerpted from BOTTOM OF THE POT: Persian Recipes and Stories by Naz Deravian. Copyright © 2018 by Naz Deravian. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Eric Wolfinger. Purchase on Amazon
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Why is 2 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (plus more as needed) necessary. We all know kosher chicken nis already salted in the kashering process. This much salt is most definitely not healthy.
Delicious!!!! I cooked it longer than suggested.