RECIPE: Rec: Baked Chicken Thighs with Squash, Yams and Peperoncini, and a tip about a popular spice mix.

RECIPE:

michael-in-phoenix

Well-known member
Awhile back I bought a bottle of John Wayne Chicken Rub that was on clearance at my local market. It was delicious. It was a southwestern BBQ rub, with cumin, chile powder, etc., but it had a pinch of curry in it that really made it pop. I used it up pretty quickly. I found more online, but they want real money for it, so I decided to get creative.

I buy the big container of Montreal Steak Seasoning at Costco. I usually take a year or two to use it up. I put it in my BBQ rub for ribs and pulled pork, etc. I decided to try and replicate the John Wayne Chicken Rub by placing about a cup-and-a-half of Montreal Steak Seasoning into my blender with one-quarter-cup of ground mild red chile powder and a tablespoon of my favorite curry powder. I pulsed it until the whole batch had the consistency of corn meal.

Wowza! It is so good. I keep a tightly sealed metal bowl of it in the front of my spice cabinet and use it for a lot of different dishes. Wa-BAM, as my son would say.

I put this together last night, and it came out quite good! It is also low-carb, and that works for Lisa and I.

This recipe would be really good with straight, non-tweaked Montreal Steak Seasoning, or any savory spice rub mixture you like.

I hope some of you try this. Be careful not to overdo the spice mixture, as it is still quite salty.

Baked Chicken Thighs with Squash, Yams and Peperoncini

8 – 12 chicken thighs, boneless/skinless, trimmed of large fat deposits and bone/gristle

3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced fine

1 small yellow or white onion, small dice

3 medium unpeeled squash (zucchini, yellow squash, Mexican Gray Squash, etc.), large dice

1 large yam, or two small yams, peeled, large dice

Olive oil

3/4 - 1 Tbsp. (to taste) Montreal Steak Seasoning, ground in a spice grinder with red chile and curry, and a little extra to sprinkle over the meat

8 – 10 peperoncini

1 cup water

Heat oven to 375°F, with rack in middle position.

Spray a baking dish (I use a 9 x 13” or 10 x 15” Pyrex glass baking dish) with cooking spray.

Prepare chicken thighs and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together to mix pressed garlic, diced onion, squash, yam and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add Montreal Steak Seasoning with red chile and curry, and stir until vegetables are well coated with spice.

Pour vegetable mixture into baking dish and spread evenly.

Place chicken thighs on top of vegetables with a little space in between each piece. Place a peperoncini in the space between chicken pieces. Lightly sprinkle chicken with more Montreal Steak Seasoning with red chile and curry.

Carefully pour 1 cup of water into the dish along the sides, taking care not to disturb the arrangement of the ingredients.

Cover dish with foil and place on the center rack in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes, covered. Remove foil after 20 minutes and continue to cook for 30 minutes more, until chicken is done and begins to brown.

Serve chicken over vegetables and their juices.

Enjoy!

 
I did my own version of this tonight...

I had bone in thighs, some red onion and 2 potatoes.
I fished around in my cabinet and found a couple of packages of steak/chicken rub, put them into a small bowl and added some curry powder. This got sprinkled on the chicken.

I also had half a jar of spicy olive mix that was a bit short on olives (so I added some). Browned the bird in a pan, added the onions and potatoes, tossed the olives on top, then poured in some (maybe 1/2 cup) of V8 juice with some brine from the olives added for zing.

Covered and put in a 375° oven for 45 minutes. Uncovered and cooked another 10 minutes and it was dinner!

Only complaint (from DH) was that there was sauce and no bread to soak it up!

Definitely a recipe from the JIR (Journal of Ir-reproducible Results) but an idea to keep in the mental files.

 
Wow, your idea just grabbed me. I have a tub of olives that an Easter guest brought

and was wondering what to do with them. This is right up my alley for this weekend. Thanks Richard and Judy for the ideas. Always looking for something to do in one pot these days.

 
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