Spiced Chicken with Warm Hummus

Sometimes the most difficult part for me when creating a blog post is the title.  I want to entice you to open the post so it has to lure you in.  This recipe is an amalgamation of two components: warm hummus and spiced chicken. But I made the decision to put the spiced chicken in the primary spot of the title.   Both parts are delicious on their own (I had never warmed up hummus before) but when they are combined – well, you just have to try it yourself.  It is heavenly.

This recipe is from a middle eastern cookbook, Soframiz by Ana Sortun which I have been waiting for from the library since November. Today I stand on hold at #11, getting there but I have to be more patient.   I like to peruse cookbooks before buying them (please don’t tell my husband, he thinks I have more than enough cookbooks, especially middle eastern ones).

Fortunately, this recipe appeared on David Lebovitz‘s website by the name Warm Hummus With Spiced Lamb. I substituted the lamb with ground chicken and it was so good, I had to share it with you.  Note that I made the amount of hummus in the recipe but doubled the filling component.

The hummus for this recipe is more basic than the one I usually make. There is no tahini or garlic added.  Just cooked chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, ground cumin and salt. 

Put all ingredients into a food processor and purée until velvet-y smooth.  I added 2 tablespoons of water to ensure total smoothness.

Put aside in a microwaveable bowl while you are preparing the chicken.

The dry ingredients to prepare the spiced chicken are salt, allspice, ground black pepper, cinnamon.  Liquids are olive oil, canned chopped tomatoes, water, lemon juice and harissa.  Fresh additions are green onions and flat leaf parsley.

The ground chicken is sauteed in the olive oil with the salt until cooked through.  The spices, tomatoes and water are added and all is cooked down until slightly more thickened.

Add the harissa and chopped green onions and continue to cook until liquid is almost completely absorbed.  Take off the heat and add the lemon juice and chopped parsley.

Time to plate.  Warm up the hummus for a minute in the microwave and spoon it around the perimeter of the serving dish.  Spoon the spiced chicken into the centre.  Top with toasted pine nuts and additional chopped parsley.

The hummus was so soft and fluffy, my family told me it had the texture of pureed mashed potatoes.  But I thought it tasted much better.  Put some pita wedges out to scoop up the hummus and chicken together.  Hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

• Print

For the hummus

2 cups chickpeas, drained
3-4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
4 tbsp. olive oil

For the spiced chicken

1 lb. ground chicken
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes, with liquid
1/2 cup water
4 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tsp. harissa
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
3-4 tbsp. toasted pine nuts

Prepare the hummus first.

1. Puree chickpeas with 3 teaspoons of the lemon juice, salt, and cumin in a food processor or blender. Mix in the olive oil.
2. While the machine is running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup (125ml) of water and purée, until the hummus is as smooth as possible. If necessary, add more liquid, a tablespoon at a time, until the hummus is the consistency of sour cream. I added 2 more tablespoons of water). Taste and adjust, adding another teaspoon of lemon juice or salt, if desired.
3. Put aside in a microwaveable bowl until ready to plate.

Preparing the spiced chicken.

1.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, season with the salt, and cook it, breaking it up as it cooks, until it’s almost cooked through, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, tomatoes and water. Cook until the liquids are slightly thickened, an additional 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the chopped green onions and harissa and cook for another couple of minutes, until the liquid is reduced. Remove from heat and the lemon juice and chopped flat-leaf parsley.

To serve, first warm up the hummus in the microwave for a minute.  Spoon the warm hummus onto a serving plate around the perimeter. Spoon the spiced chicken into the middle of the hummus and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and top with more chopped parsley.  Serve with pita wedges to scoop up the double goodness.

Note: you can prepare the hummus and spiced chicken in advance and plate the following day.

 

Tags: chicken, cumin, harissa, hummus, middle eastern, Turkey