2 winning main dishes featuring chicken thighs

Never look at a chicken thigh the same again—try these two delicious recipes and fall in love with chicken once more. The first recipe features plenty of savory Indian spices to excite your taste buds, and the second has exotic shiitake mushrooms to expand your dinner palate.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4

• 15 ml (1 tbsp) turmeric
• 7 ml (1 1/2tsp) ground ginger
• 5 ml (1 tsp) salt, divided
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) cinnamon
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) sugar
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) pepper
• 600 g (1 1/4lb) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) chunks
• 10 ml (2 tsp) olive oil
• 1 medium onion, halved and thickly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 carrots, thickly sliced
• 500 g (1 lb) small red-skinned potatoes, quartered
• 10 ml (2 tsp) creamy peanut butter
• 1 kg (4 c) broccoli florets

1. In a medium bowl, stir together turmeric, ginger, two millilitres (1/2teaspoon) of the salt, cinnamon, sugar and pepper. Add chicken, tossing to coat.
2. In a nonstick Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently for seven minutes, or until the onion is tender.
3. Add 125 millilitres (1/2cup) of water, the carrots, potatoes, peanut butter and remaining salt. Bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes, or until the carrots begin to soften.
4. Add the chicken, and cook for two minutes (or until no longer pink). Stir in 500 millilitres (two cups) of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender.
5. Add the broccoli. Cover and cook for five minutes, or until broccoli is tender.

The homemade curry powder for this chicken dish has an especially high proportion of antioxidant-rich turmeric and ginger, both of which show promise in the fight against heart disease and Cancer.

• 394 calories
• 9.7 g fat
• 1.9 g saturated fat
• 37 g protein
• 38 g carbohydrates
• 7.9 g fibre
• 118 mg cholesterol
• 789 mg sodium

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4

• 125 g (1/2 c) dried shiitake mushrooms
• 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water
• 8 skinless bone-in chicken thighs, about 150 g (5 oz) each
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) flour
• 15 ml (3 tsp) olive oil
• 2 leeks, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 2.5 cm (1 in) lengths, and washed thoroughly
• 725 g (1 1/2lb) small red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1 cm (1/2 in) chunks
• 275 g (10 oz) frozen Brussels sprouts
• 5 ml (1 tsp) salt
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) dried thyme

1. In a small bowl, combine the shiitake mushrooms and boiling water. Let stand for 20 minutes, or until softened. With your fingers, remove the mushrooms from the soaking liquid, reserving the liquid. Trim any stems from mushrooms and thinly slice the caps. Strain the reserved liquid through a fine-meshed sieve or a coffee filter. Set aside.
2. Dredge chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess. In a nonstick Dutch oven, heat 10 millilitres (two teaspoons) of the oil over medium heat. Add chicken, and cook for three minutes per side (or until golden brown). Transfer chicken to a plate.
3. Add the remaining five millilitres (one teaspoon) oil, the leeks and mushrooms to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently for two minutes, or until the leeks are golden.
4. Add the reserved liquid, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, salt, thyme and 250 millilitres (one cup) of water. Bring to a boil. Return chicken to the pan and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked through and the brussels sprouts and potatoes are tender).

Shiitake mushrooms and potatoes are earthy vegetables that marry well with rich, dark-meat chicken.Brussels sprouts, which belong to the cabbage family, have four times the vitamin C—known for improving immune function and fighting infections and viruses—of the other family members.

• 501 calories
• 12.3 g fat
• 2.6 g saturated fat
• 48 g protein
• 50 g carbohydrates
• 5.9 g fibre
• 172 mg cholesterol
• 792 mg sodium

It only takes one recipe to change your dinner routine—here are two for you to choose from!