POULTRY WEEK 1: Spicy chicken with baked pumpkin, carrots and chickpeas

Easy to prepare and a really delicious and aromatic recipe with a spicy flavour, ideal for a Winter meal with the family or friends. In the version I give you the spices are there but not so strong or too hot so the flavours blend together well without dominating one another. You'll gain time if you prepare the chickpeas the night before or if you use tinned chickpeas to make things even simpler. The fresh ginger it was more than enough for us because we are not big fans of too hot flavours. So, instead of the curry powder the recipe suggested, I used saffron (turmeric is good too) but of course this is a matter of preference and you can choose otherwise

Adapted from a recipe of "Gourmet" magazine
of  "ELEFTHEROTYPIA" newspaper

Ingredients (for 4-6 people):
4 large chicken breast fillets, cut in bites

2 yellow onions, grated
2 large carrots, peeled and cut in small cubes
500 gr. of pumpkin, cut in medium chunks (net weight)
2 tea-cups already boiled chickpeas, well drained
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers, cut in cubes
2 tsp of ground cumin
1 tbsp of fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp of saffron powder or turmeric (or 1 tbsp of spicy curry powder of your choice)
3-4 tbsp of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3-4 tbsp of olive oil
1 Lt of warm water
1-2 tbsp of olive oil for the pumpkin
salt

Method:
Warm in a wide pot the olive oil in medium-high heat and sauté the onions along with the peppers, the carrots and the garlic for about 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spatula. Add the grated ginger and the chicken and sauté for a few more minutes until the chicken changes colour and it is lightly golden.

Add the water in the pot, the saffron (or the turmeric or the curry powder), season with salt and pepper and cover with the lid. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for about 45-50 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Season the pumpkin with some salt, drizzle with the extra olive oil and spread in a shallow baking dish. Put in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

When the chicken is almost done, add in the pot the pumpkin and the chickpeas and gently stir. Cover with the lid and continue cooking for about another 20 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, sprinkle with the parsley, gently stir and serve while the food is still hot.

If you wish you can serve on top of some white rice pilaf along with a couple dollops of Greek thick yoghurt or single cream.