Nehraa-aqun, βfor balanceβ, is a savoury braised chicken-and-vegetable stew for those long, hot days and cold nights. Served from northern Rivain to Par Vollen, it has everything an athlok needsβtender pieces of chicken for protein, and root vegetables soaked in bone broth for good health. Small handfuls of foreign spices are an allowance the Arigena overlooks.
Eight chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
Two tablespoons of olive oil
Two medium potatoes, peeled, cut into one-and-a-half inch chunks
One medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into one-and-a-half inch chunks
Two medium carrots, peeled, cut into inch-long pieces
Two medium yellow onions, diced
One-and-a-half cups of chicken broth
One-and-three-quarter teaspoon paprika
One-and-a-quarter teaspoon turmeric
Half a teaspoon garlic powder
Generously season the salt and pepper. Set a heavy pot over a medium-high flame and heat olive oil until hot. Place the chicken thighs into the pan, skin side down, and cook undisturbed for seven to eight minutes, until skin is dark golden brown and crispy. Turn and cook for an additional three to four minutes. This may need to be done in batches.
Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Fry the potato and carrots for around eight minutes, stirring gently during cooking, until vegetables are browned and crisp. This may also need to be done in batches. Remove from pot and set aside.
Add onions and one-quarter teaspoon of salt to the oil and stir to coat. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Let cook for around ten minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the chicken broth, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder and bay leaves. Set aside.
Uncover the pot and continue to cook the onions over medium-high heat, stirring until they soften and begin to caramelize. Add half the cooking liquid back to the pot and stir to combine with the onions. Add the chicken and spoon over the remaining cooking liquid.
Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for an hour, or until the chicken is tender and falling off the bones. Add the vegetables back to the pot and turn to coat. Raise heat to medium and simmer uncovered for another fifteen minutes, until cooking liquid has reduced and vegetables are tender. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve with light bread to soak up the excess liquid.
Adapted from Chicken Sofrito by Tori Avey, found here (contributed and tested by Asher)