Spiced Chicken and Chickpea Stew

The recipe comes from Saveur. It's a nice stick-to-your-ribs recipe. I really like the sumac which I had never had before but was able to get from a local Middle Eastern store. I typically substitute olive oil for any oil in recipes like this. I used curry powder instead of the Spice Mixture.

SERVES 4

¼ cup canola oil
6 cloves garlic
3 small onions, quartered
4 medium waxy-style potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp. Spice Mixture or curry powder
1 tbsp. ground turmeric
1 tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
4 skinless chicken legs (about 1 lb.)
4 skinless chicken thighs (about 1 lb.)
1 19-oz. can chickpeas, drained
4 pieces khubuz al-tannour (Iraqi flat bread), naan, or pita
1 lemon, quartered
1 tbsp. dried sumac (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oil in a 6-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions, potatoes, bay leaves, spice mixture, turmeric, and salt. Cook, stirring and scraping bottom of pot occasionally, until onions and potatoes are golden, about 10 minutes. Add chicken and 3 ½ cups water; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, until chicken is tender and cooked through, 20–25 minutes.

2. Add chickpeas; cook for 5 minutes more. Taste the stew and season with more salt, to taste. Line 4 bowls with torn pieces of the flat bread. Ladle stew over bread. Squeeze a wedge of lemon over each bowl and sprinkle with sumac.