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The pineapple addition to this recipe did not come about during a moment of culinary genius. Nor did it occur because I thought about how the sweet-sour profile often used in Thai cuisine might work here. It happened because I was too lazy to cut open a pineapple I’d purchased. After first making this, I knew it needed a little something more, which is when I looked over at my pineapple, the eyes on its body, fully yellow, mocking me with its obvious ripeness, countering my obvious laziness. That’s when the lightbulb went off. Still, I hesitated because I remember all the bad ’80s/early ’90s food that contained overly sweet pineapple, but let me reassure you that the pineapple — just a cup of it — balances out the richness of the braising liquid. —Yasmin Fahr
Braised Chicken Thighs With Coconut Milk, Chile + Pineapple
Serves 4
Active time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 to 2½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (4- to 6-ounce) tube tomato paste (about ½ cup), preferably double-concentrated
- 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen pineapple chunks
- 2 limes: 1 halved, 1 cut into wedges
- 1 Fresno pepper, cut into rounds (and seeded, if you’re sensitive to heat)
- ¼ cup packed fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems, gently torn or chopped
- Naan or cooked rice, for serving
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