Heritage Chicken Recipe

Rinse and soak

Place the Nishiki rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water, stirring with your hand, until the water runs mostly clear (about 1–2 minutes). Drain well.

Combine the rinsed rice, 2.25 cups water, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.

Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer 15 minutes without lifting the lid. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes to finish steaming. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season both sides with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper.

In a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil. When shimmering, place chicken thighs skin-side down in a single layer. Cook undisturbed 6–8 minutes until the skin is deep golden brown and crisp. Turn and brown the second side 3–4 minutes. Transfer browned pieces to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. If the pan is very oily, pour off all but 1 tbsp oil. Add 1 finely chopped shallot and 4 minced garlic cloves to the pan and sauté 1–2 minutes until softened and fragrant, scraping up browned bits.

Stir in 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1/2 tsp ground cumin; cook 30 seconds to bloom the spices.

Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken stock, scraping the fond. Let the liquid reduce by about half (1–2 minutes).

Return the chicken thighs to the pan skin-side up. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock, 3 sprigs thyme and 1 bay leaf. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently 18–22 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F (74°C).

Transfer chicken to a warm plate. Tent loosely with foil and let rest 5 minutes. Discard thyme stems and bay leaf. If you plan to spoon sauce over chicken, finish sauce in the pan in the next step.

While the chicken cooks, make the tamarind agrodolce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm 1 tbsp olive oil. Add 1 minced shallot and sauté 1–2 minutes until translucent.

Add 2 tbsp tamarind paste, 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup water. Whisk to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.

Simmer the sauce 4–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly and becomes glossy. Taste and adjust: add a pinch more salt if needed or a little extra honey if you want sweeter. Remove from heat and swirl in 1 tbsp unsalted butter for silkiness.

If desired, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to remove shallot bits for a smooth agrodolce, or leave as-is for texture.

Place a scoop of fluffed Nishiki rice on each plate. Set 1–2 chicken thighs alongside or atop the rice.

Spoon the warm tamarind agrodolce over the chicken (and a little over the rice if you like). If you reserved pan juices from the chicken, you can swirl them into the agrodolce in the pan and heat briefly to combine before saucing.

Garnish with 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds if using, and lemon or lime wedges to squeeze at the table.

Serve immediately. Leftovers: store chicken and sauce separately from rice in airtight containers in the refrigerator up to 3 days.