Chicken Thighs Braised in Tomato-Ginger Sauce

One of my favorite cookbooks from early in my marriage was “While the Pasta Cooks,” because the author appreciated the fact that tomatoes pair beautifully with so many ingredients, even unexpected ones. One of my favorite sauce recipes from the book was a simple one comprised mainly of tomato, ginger and green onions. Though I haven’t cracked the cookbook in a long time, I’ve often thought back fondly to that sauce. Recently I tried to do a take on it, using it as a braising liquid for some chicken thighs.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 chicken thighs (I used bone-in, skin-on because that’s what I had, but I think boneless skinless is easier. If you use the former, be sure to crisp the skin before submerging in the sauce.
• 1 28 can crushed tomatoes
• 4-6 green onions, minced
• 1 dash red pepper flakes or 1 minced, seeded jalapeno
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 1/2-2 inches of fresh ginger, grated
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tbsp. oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Heat oil to medium heat.
2. Taking care not to burn the garlic, stir the green onions, pepper flakes or jalapeño, ginger and garlic, ’til fragrant. Stir in the curry powder and some salt and pepper.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, along with least a cup of water (sauce thickens up in the oven).
4. Salt and pepper the thighs, then submerge in the sauce.
5. Braise in a 325 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until sauce has thickened up and chicken is tender. (Cook uncovered for a spell if sauce is not thickened to your liking.)
6. Serve over rice and top with cilantro.