Aromatic Syrian Chicken

photo of a yellow meat dish topped with herbs and cinnamon on a wood table

A warming comforting dish with plenty of flavour built in.
I like to serve any braised dish with something fresh/herby/zingy. Fresh tomatoes, mint and coriander really add a bright extra dimension to this dish. Cous cous, flatbreads or even rice are great to serve alongside to sop up all those tasty juices.

ingredients
  • 1kg chicken thighs
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds, ground
  • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1/3 cup ginger turmeric paste
  • 60ml olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 1 cup stock, chicken or vegetable
  • 2 cinnamon quills
  • 50g (1/3 cup) currants
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • fresh mint
  • fresh coriander
photo of metal and ceramic pots on a gas fire stove
method

Halve the chicken thighs and toss in cumin, pepper, salt and ginger turmeric paste.

In a large pan on a medium heat, add oil and brown off the spiced chicken. Once browned all over add garlic and onion and stir well.

Pour in the stock plus any extra water required to almost cover the chicken thighs and tuck in your cinnamon quills. Simmer for 20 minutes, add lemon juice and currants, stir then simmer for a further 10 minutes.

To serve, top with chopped tomatoes, mint and coriander

FREE RANGING FOODIE

© Copyright Amanda Kennedy 2025