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A few hours of marinating can transform a humble piece of chicken into your new favorite dish. That's exactly what this recipe does - but you'll need to plan ahead and start this dish early.

For this recipe, we'll be using boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I love using this cut of chicken because it's affordable and versatile. Plus, with a good balance of protein and fat, it's much more flavorful than chicken breast.

We'll marinate the chicken in a savory blend of spices, herbs, garlic, and olive oil, then cook it on the grill to give it a delicious, charred flavor.

Round it out with some aromatic turmeric rice flavored with a surprise kick of pumpkin pie spice (yes, that's right), and fold in a healthy dose of thinly sliced kale. Since we're using fresh raw kale, it's important to slice it thin, so it's easy to chew.

Golden raisins give the dish some refreshing sweetness, which is complemented by a tzatziki sauce - a Mediterranean blend of cucumber, lemon and yogurt. I like serving this dish with some warm pita bread and a glass of chilled white wine. Enjoy!

Preparation time:  4 hours to marinate + 2 hours cooking time

Serves 6

Tools you'll need:

Cutting board

Chef's knife

blender

rice cooker

whisk

grill tongs

mixing bowls

measuring cups and spoons

vegetable peeler

microplane zester

Ingredients: 

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 small bunch fresh oregano, stems removed

1 small bunch fresh marjoram, stems removed

Juice and zest of 3 lemons

1 tablespoon paprika

1 yellow onion, sliced thin

10 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cups basmati rice

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoons turmeric

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon chicken soup base, dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water

1 bunch kale, sliced thin

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 English cucumber, peeled

1 1/2 cups whole milk Greek yogurt

Small bunch fresh dill, stems removed

kosher salt as needed

Procedure

For the chicken: In a blender, combine the sliced onion, one-third of the garlic, paprika, lemon zest, herbs, half of the lemon juice, and half of the olive oil. Blend until smooth.

Toss together with the chicken, and let marinate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Season with salt and cook on the grill or oven broiler, turning as needed until cooked through. It should be lightly charred, not burnt. Let cool, and dice into 1/2 inch cubes.

For the rice: Wash and rinse the rice three times under cold running water. Place rice in a rice cooker along with 6 cups of water, pumpkin pie spice, turmeric, bay leaf, chicken base, and salt to taste. Steam in rice cooker until done.

For the sauce: In the cleaned blender, combine cucumber, remaining lemon juice, remaining garlic, remaining olive oil, fresh dill and salt as needed. Pureé until smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the yogurt. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

To finish: In a large mixing bowl, fold together the warm rice, sliced kale and golden raisins. Spoon rice mixture onto plates or bowls and serve the diced chicken on top. Serve with tzatziki sauce and warm pita bread on the side.

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