Chicken with rhubarbs, almonds and spices

I just love rhubarbs and I just discovered that they suit chicken and some of my favourite spices very well. Allow about 0.5 hour for prep and 1.5 hour in the oven. I promise you it is worth it! As usual the spices should be used after taste but remember to balance them.

This recipe really deserves a good quality chicken. I know they are a bit expensive but it's really worth it. Avoid corn fed chickens. I recommend you use almonds with their skin on and remove the skin just before you use them as they have a much fuller taste. You can store almonds in the freezer or the fridge to keep them from going rancid if you as me buy them in bulk size...

Turn on the oven on 225 degrees. Take 2 handfuls of almonds and put them in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave to soak while you cut 1 large good quality chicken into smaller pieces; I split the leg pieces in two and the chest down the middle and then each in four pieces. I also use the back and the wings. Leave the bone on as that adds to the taste. Put the chicken pieces into a large pan skin side up and sprinkle some sea salt over it. 

Take 1 bunch of rhubarbs and cut them into bite sized chunks. Put into the pan with the chicken. Cut 3-4 cloves of garlic into quarters and add them as well. At this point you should be able to remove the skin from the almonds. Put them into the pan. Take an orange and use the peeler to get a couple of strips of zest which you also add to the pan. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice over the chicken. 

Sprinkle with the following spices: 2-3 sticks of cinnamon, freshly grounded cardamom, allspice, pepper and coriander seeds.

Put the chicken into the oven, leave for a couple of minutes and then reduce the heat to 175 degrees to slow cook the chicken. Leave for about 1,5 hour and enjoy the smell of spices :-)

Keep the side dish very simple like sliced red cabbage or grated carrot in order not to mess with the lovely spices and rhubarb sauce. 

Bon appetit!

Do not eat raw

A lot of vegetables actually contain small amounts of natural toxins to ward of insects and pests. If you eat a varied diet and don't overeat any particular vegetable it is very unlikely that you will be poisoned. Eating a couple of raw mushrooms while you cook or using spinach in a salad occasionally shouldn't be a problem, but if you eat them often it is suggested that you cook them.

Here is a list of some vegetables that you should cook before eating them. Don't stop eating them. Just follow the guidelines and keep using them because once the toxins have been removed they are really good for you!).


Bamboo shots
Contains cyanogenic glycosides which can lead to cyanide poisoning that can cause coma with seizures, apnea and cardiac arrest. Canned bamboo shots can be consumed without further cooking, but fresh bamboo shots should be cooked in slightly salted water for 8-10 minutes to remove the toxin. 

Beans and lentils
Most beans and lentils contain lectins which can cause an upset stomach. Fresh beans: Cook at least 10 minutes at high temperature. Dried beans and lentils: Soak at least 6 hours and then cook at least 10 minutes at high temperature. Canned beans and lentils: Can be consumed without further cooking. Lupini beans should soak at least 7 days, changing the water every day.

Mushrooms
Even the edible kinds of mushrooms contain toxins so it is always a good idea to cook them.

Rhubarb leaves
You can eat the stalk, but do not eat the leaves as they contain oxalic acid and anthraquinones that can cause severe poisoning and lead to fatal kidney damage.


More about the toxins in vegetables:
Food Science Network - University of Guelph, Canada