Turmeric Chicken

15 minutes prep 40 minutes active cooking 55 minutes total

Makes 3 - 5 servings (assume 1 chicken thigh per serving)

Jump to the recipe

Turmeric, native to the Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia, provides a floral, mustard-y, and slightly bitter flavor to all kinds of food, although it’s earliest uses were coloring and medicinal.

While it’s health benefits have yet to be confirmed in clinical trials, millions of people use turmeric for it’s supposed anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. We like it because it makes food delicious.

This dish combines Diaspora’s incredibly fresh ground turmeric with Son fish sauce. Diaspora was founded in 2017 to create a radically new and equitable vision of the spice trade. The company works with small farmers who focus on flavor, sustainability, and heirloom seed. Direct purchasing allows the women-owned company to work with much smaller farms who lack the resources to export, and the producers get paid more.

Fourth generation farmer Prabhu Kasaraneni watched Youtube videos so he could grow organic turmeric near the banks of the Krishna river. The heirloom turmeric variety Pragati produces a beautifully bright turmeric with floral, earthy flavor. Made by the same family for more than 50 years, Son fish sauce uses only anchovies and sea salt to produce their umami-laden elixir. While it’s a natural in Asian-inspired dishes like this, fish sauce is good anywhere you might add anchovies or just if you need a savory boost.

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the shopping list

3+ Bone-in Skin on Chicken Thighs
1 Onion
1 Carrot
1 Bell Pepper
1 teaspoon of Cumin
1 cup of Carolina gold rice grits

From our shop

Out of stock

2-3 tablespoons of Madre Terra
$29.00– Sicily - Italy

To taste Italian Fine Sea Salt
$7.00– Trapani - Sicily

Out of stock

2 tablespoons of Fish Sauce
$8.00– Hayward - California

Out of stock

1 tablespoon of
–

Equipment

From the kitchen

1 Chef's Knife
1 Cutting Board
1 Heavy Skillet or Dutch Oven with lid
1 Tongs
1 Measuring Spoons

"Millions of people use turmeric for it’s supposed anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. We like it because it makes food delicious."

~ Jim Dixon, founder Wellspent and Real Good Food

What you'll have to do

Step 1

Heat a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in skillet, stir in a tablespoon of Diaspora’s turmeric, and cook the thighs until nicely browned on both sides. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Step 2

Chop an onion, carrot, and bell pepper into smallish pieces. Cook them in the same skillet with a teaspoon or so of cumin seeds and a pinch of sea salt until soft, about 10 minutes.

Step 3

Stir in a cup of Carolina Gold rice grits and cook for a minute, then add 1 1/2 cups water and 2 tablespoons Son fish sauce. Nestle the thighs into the rice grits skin side up, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the rice is done, about 20 minutes. Uncover and let sit 10 minutes before serving.