Eat Your Greens!

I know that leafy greens are some kind of magical power food that we're supposed to eat every day for the rest of our lives, but let's face it, unless you're a rabbit, greens are pretty boring and some of them (KALE!) are downright tough and nasty.

I decided that I had to try to like them a couple of years ago, and I looked for healthy recipes, but the health nuts only want you to gently steam or saute the greens, maybe with a little garlic and ginger, leaving them still bitter, tough and nasty (and boring).

Well I had an AHA moment last night when we ordered in some Indian food. I always get some kind of saag dish because what better way to eat greens than cooked to mush in butter. MMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Oh Hey! I could totally make this at home. :)

So here's my chicken saag-ish recipe:

1 5-lb chicken, quartered and brined (soak the chicken parts in salty water in the fridge for at least 3 hours before cooking. This tenderizes the meat and helps it retain some moisture), or use 2 breasts, 2 thighs, and 2 drumsticks on the bone.
2 Tablespoons virgin coconut fat (get the unrefined stuff if you can find it)
1 inch ginger peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 cloves garlic minced
2 bunches of greens, chopped (I used chard, but spinach, kale, collards, mustard greens, etc., would probably taste good too. Also, I only used one bunch, but I would use more next time.)
1 cup chicken broth
1 summer squash, chopped (I found a yellow zucchini that gave the dish some nice color.)
1 large tomato, peeled, cored, and diced
1 teaspoon garam masala (or whatever curry powder you have around)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)

1. Remove the chicken parts from the brine and dry thoroughly, leaving the skin on.

2. In a wide, deep pan heat the coconut fat over medium-high, and brown the chicken parts on all sides in the fat. Remove the chicken and set aside.

3. saute the ginger and garlic in the fat for a couple of minutes, then add the greens and saute until wilted.

4. Add the broth, squash, tomato, spices, and butter, and bring to a boil.

5. Put the chicken back into the pan, nestled among the vegetables.

6. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

7. Once the chicken is done (about 30 minutes), remove it from the pan, remove the skin, and debone the meat. Cut the meat into bite sized pieces and set aside.

While you're working with the meat, turn the heat up high and boil the vegetables to reduce the liquid in the pan until thickened into a sauce.

8. Once you have the sauce reduced to the desired level, add the chunks of meat to the pan and stir to heat it thoroughly. Correct the flavor with salt if needed.

This goes great with basmati rice, and we had some leftover naan from the Indian food last night. This would probably be good with other meats like chunks of lamb or beef that were previously braised in another recipe.