Braised Chicken Thighs with Mango and Couscous

I have to admit, I enjoy eating meat. Even though I serve a salad with every meal and I always force everyone into eating tonnes of veggies I secretly cherish a ham and cheese sandwich with a fig spread and a little bit of mayo, I love smoky prosciutto on a pizza and mortadella with pesto on a crusty bread. Schnitzel, pork or chicken, sausage, especially Polish style from a grill or a dried Kabanos. Perfectly cooked ribs, a beef stew, oh and my most perfect meat dish so far- short braised ribs. I crave hot dogs once in a while. 

Even though I eat more veggies than meat, I have been shopping for and preparing more meat recently as our family from Mexico are visiting and the other day I found myself just shopping for meat.... ????? I actually left the supermarket with meat only. Never happens to me. But imagine two Mexican men enjoying a vegetarian meal, I am already depriving them of their beloved daily tortilla so I better serve some meat.


Below- an example of a Mexican bowl of deliciousness we had at a local restaurant in San Miguel De Allende.



I am lucky I subscribed to Food Network once again, thinking I will have all the time in the world to watch it on my maternity leave- how wrong was I once again. I keep on PVR'ing my favourite shows hoping to watch them all in a free moment (what is a free moment?) Anyways I did watch half of Michael Smith's show and it was all about chicken thighs. I usually cook with chicken breast, I do not like the skin or bones. I will occasionally roast a whole chicken. But this recipe looked so good and I remembered having amazing chicken thighs at a Caribbean restaurant and his recipe was Caribbean inspired so I thought I would give it a try. I did and guess what? The chicken was so tender it fell apart and my family loved it. Mango and cinnamon in it gave it a special kick and I had no idea mango does not fall apart when you cook it! Thank you Michael Smith! It is also the most popular and most frequently eaten fruit in the world. Bet you thought it was a banana or apple.

Mango Chicken

6 chicken thighs (boneless and skinless if possible)

1 red onion, chopped

2 red peppers

1 head garlic

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and chopped

2 cups pineapple juice

1 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

½ teaspoon salt

a few handfuls fresh cilantro or parsley

Heat a little bit of oil in a deep frying pan that has a cover and sear the chicken for about 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown, transfer to a plate. Add the onion with peppers, garlic and spices and cook for a bit before adding the juice , ginger, salt and return the chicken to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until it almost falls apart for about 40- 50 minutes. Serve with rice or couscous. Enjoy!!!