Harissa Coconut Curry Chicken with Vegetables

INGREDIENTS
4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, 4 chicken wings
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups diced yellow onions
1 1/4 cup diced butternut squash
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup harissa salsa (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 can full-fat coconut milk
2 cups kale leaves, chopped and stems removed
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 can of garbazo beans
salt and pepper
Optional marinade: 1/2 teaspoon tumeric, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, salt, pepper, 2 TBSP harissa salsa from new jar

DIRECTIONS
Optional Marinade: Use about 2 tablespoons of the salsa from a new jar and add it into a zip top bag with chicken. Add 1/2 teaspoon tumeric, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder and salt and pepper. Marinate a few hours or overnight.
In a large heavy-bottom pot (such as a Dutch-oven), drizzle olive oil to the bottom of the pot and put it over high heat.
Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, tumeric, curry powder (if you didn't do the marinade step) on both sides and add to the hot oil, skin-side down. You'll want to just brown the outside of the chicken, about 4 minutes each side. Remove from pan and place on a plate and set aside.
Turn heat down to medium-high and add garlic and onions. Cook until fragrant and translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
Blend together the rest of the harissa salsa, coconut milk, chicken broth, salt, pepper, a few more dashes of tumeric and/or curry.
Next, add the butternut squash and carrots and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until halfway cooked through, about 7-8 minutes. Add the "sauce" that you blended up. Stir to incorporate. Add the chicken back in along with garbanzo beans, bring mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until chicken has fully cooked through, about 25-30 minutes, or longer depending on how thick your chicken thighs are.
At the very end, stir in the kale leaves. If your mixture seems too thick, you can thin it out with chicken broth.
Bonus: Pop your whole pot under the broiler on high for 5 minutes to crisp up the chicken skin a bit.
Serve over rice, if desired.

Wine pairing:
One Woman
Gruner Veltliner 2015
North Fork, NY


I also did this dish in the slow cooker and it might have turned out even better.  I think the flavors had time to mix together longer. If you are making this with chicken in the slow cooker, add the liquid and seasonings with the chicken and onion and cook for 4 hours on high, then add the rest of the ingredients (except kale) and cook for 2 hours. When 1 hour left - add the kale.  Serve just like that or over rice or maybe with Naan. 

If you are not adding the chicken, 3 hours on high for all of the ingredients (1 hour with kale) should be plenty. 

INGREDIENTS
4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, 4 chicken wings
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups diced yellow onions
1 1/4 cup diced butternut squash
1 cup diced carrots (about 3 smaller carrots)
1 bottle of harissa (its in a hot-sauce like bottle)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 cup milk (whatever kind you have)
2 cups kale leaves, chopped small and stems removed
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can of garbazo beans
1 TBSP honey
salt and pepper to taste