A Southern Grace: squawk!

April 28, 2009

squawk!

Yum

That's an interesting word, is it not?

If I could only consume one source of meat for the rest of my days, it'd have to be chicken. It's so delicious and versatile. Roast it, poach it, bake it. Broil it, boil it, fry it. Ground it, shred it, dice it. Marinate it, rub it, sauce it. And so on, and so forth--the combinations are truly endless.



One ingredient I've never combined with chicken is nut butter, but I know it's a popular combination in many African and Thai dishes. Apparently it's popular in Spanish cuisine as well--I found a recipe on the Barney Butter site for Spanish Almond Chicken that certainly seemed worth a try.

This dish is a happy blend of chicken, carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and spinach dressed in a stellar sauce consisting of almond butter, saffron-infused sherry, and lemon juice. Another wonderful component is the mixture of herbs and spices--cloves and ginger, thyme and parsley. Saffron and sherry are not items I keep in my cabinets, but they ended up being well worth the investment--they added a depth of flavor that really made the dish something unique and completely fantastic.


If you like exotic flavors, I urge you to give this recipe a try. There are a lot of things going on at once, and they're all enjoyable. Nut butter and chicken are indeed a delightful duo.

54 comments:

Penny said...

Thanks Grace. Don't you think I could do this in my wok? Love saffron and I even have some - threads of gold by the price of it.

Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella said...

Yum, this looks delicious. I love satay chicken so this would be a natural extension of it! :)

Julia said...

I'm with you about chicken! Though, I have many friends that would vote for pork.

This dish looks great!

Cara said...

This sounds like a delicious combination. I love chicken when combined with peanut butter so I bet this is great as well, and I like the addition of saffron.

Jacque said...

I agree, chicken is like a blank slate. Beef and pork aren't nearly so versatile.

Anyway, this dish sounds wonderful! Really, wish I could serve it for dinner tonight.

Lori said...

Indeed I will try this. It looks amazing Grace. I am so with you about the chicken, unlike you though I would add shrimp (and seafood).

Heather said...

mmmmm. that sounds DELICIOUS!

kat said...

All the flavors in here sound wonderful to me for sure!

Jeff said...

I still have my almond butter too and never thought of combining them either.

I would be a toss up between pork or chicken. I may lean more towards pork just because I can do more with it in the end. Plus giving up pulled pork would be really freaking hard to do.

Culinary Wannabe said...

I wish I like chicken as much as you - guess I'm just a red meat gal. But maybe I just haven't been covering my chicken in the good stuff, like this! It looks awesome!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

My Mom feels the same way about chicken. Me? I can take it or leave it though that does look pretty yummy.
~ingrid

Amanda said...

Don't forget sticking a beer can in it's butt!

Try my recipe for spicy peanut sauce, only use your barney butter. I bet it'll work! Yummmm!

Marjie said...

Chicken is a great idea when you just don't know what on earth you want for dinner. This is really pretty; the butter sticks nicely to the chicken.

foodhoe said...

yes squawk is a very interesting word, my hubby calls me sandy-squawks-alot sometimes, but then he's a man of few words... your description and pictures are inspiring me to defrost the lovely clucker I have been saving. must visit the barney butter site soon!

La Bella Cooks said...

This looks very comforting. I definitely could go for this.

OhioMom said...

Another chicken lover here, this looks amazing ... ahem, I will have to buy some more Barney Butter as all mine went on toast :)

lisaiscooking said...

The sauce looks amazing! And, the sherry and saffron sound like delicious parts of it.

Robin said...

This does sound so yummy indeedy! Lots of flavor going on in there!

vanillasugarblog said...

you know I like a LOT of flavors going on at once. I'm so in on this one.

LilSis said...

Oh my goodness! That sounds so good! I've never cooked with Barney Butter before. I'm bookmarking this now so I can return to the recipe and put those ingredients on my shopping list.

If I can't find saffron at a reasonable price, do you think the recipe would still turn out okay without it?

LyB said...

Ooooh, I love dishes like that. I've been on a Thai/Indian curry kick lately, I certainly like the exotic flavors! :)

Pam said...

I've been wanting to cook more Thai food - this looks like the perfect recipe to start with.

Mike of Mike's Table said...

That sounds like a very tasty change from the norm for me. It looks delicious

Melanie said...

The nut butter and chicken combo have not yet graced my kitchen but perhaps it is about time? The dish looks fantastic.

The Blonde Duck said...

I''m curious! This looks delightful!

Julia from Dozen Flours said...

Wow, I'm excited to try this one. It looks very much like something my family would enjoy. Thanks for sharing!

Laura said...

I am more of a pork and beef gal myself, sad because it is so much less sustainable, but I like nut butter on any of 'em, including chicken. This sounds fantastic.

unconfidential cook said...

Looks absolutely great...like the inside of the world's best chicken pot pie.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I'm the same as you, I love having chicken. That's my meat of choice. You did make a great dish.

Paula said...

Ah Grace, great onomatopoeia! You know how I adore "words"! The recipe is awesome, too! I love this type of recipe. I need to find your barney butter so I can have some Spanish Almond Chicken, too!

Leslie said...

I bet the saffron-infused sherry made this dish amazing!!!!

Bunny said...

You are certainly putting the nut butter to good use Grace, this looks fantastic!

MaryBeth said...

I could not agree more... I love chicken for the same reasons. This dish of yours is simply outrageous and over the top!!!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I have to try some Barney butter:D

noble pig said...

That smotthy-creaminess...I'm all over it!

Anonymous said...

squawk is a funny word! and you are superaddicted to barney butter, aren't you?

Elyse said...

Almond butter? Saffron? Sherry? Together? WOW!! Sounds amazing. Sounds like I want this for dinner tomorrow night. I need to rush out to get these ingredients. Man oh man, sounds delicious!

Donna-FFW said...

his looks fantastic Grace, so smooth and delicious, nut butter, MMMM!!

Jessica@Foodmayhem said...

Sure does look delicious in your pics.

Jenna (KaTom) said...

That looks clucking good. :-D

Lore said...

I would go with chicken as well. Creamy deliciousness, yummy!!!

Sandie said...

I am with you. There are times I think I could live on chicken as the only meat I consume. Of course, then we throw some shrimp on the grill and I quickly change my mind :)

Juliana said...

This chicken looks so yummie...the sauce...my mouth is watering.

Claudia said...

I adore chicken also! And strive to make it interesting for my family. I love all these flavors - I can taste them now - and the sauce ... really nice.

Jenn@slim-shoppin said...

What a great combination of flavors. That sounds amazing.

I purchased a small pouch of saffron from Penzey's spices (a spice store chain, or you can order it online) that way, the expense isn't that great since you may not use saffron that often.

Hornsfan said...

this looks really tasty!

Maria said...

Great dish, like always!

KJ said...

your blog is out of control. my mouth was watering at the sound of this dish - I mean saffron infused sherry!!! and then I saw the banana bars. I am going to have a lie down now.

Deborah said...

What an interesting recipe! I am a chicken lover too - I just need some almond butter now!

Chef Fresco said...

Oh wow, this looks amazing!

Lyndas recipe box said...

This looks so creamy and delicious!
I've not had anything like this before, but I sure want some now!

Tabitha Blue said...

Now THAT is a chicken dish, wow. Nice work, Grace!!

:)
~Tabitha~

freshmommyblog.com

Chef E said...

I agree creamy delish right there...one of my favorites is orange zest chicken, and I wonder if this would work, hmmmmmm *note to self* make this!

My Taste Heaven said...

This is such a healthy dish, with chicken and vegetables!