Charoset Chicken Thighs

and some thoughts on Passover

Hi all, I have a great recipe for you today — excellent for Passover, or just for any old chicken dinner evening (and yes I include vegetarian and vegan alternatives).

But first, I’m so excited for my upcoming two-part class series at the end of the month: COOKING 101! The series is geared towards beginners — maybe that’s you or someone you know? As always, if $ is a barrier, just let me know and I’ll make sure you can still attend. You can come to either or both!

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On April 27th + 28th, join me for: COOKING 101 !!

OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION: So you want to cook? Join me! I’ll show you the basics. In this two part live digital series over the course of one weekend, I'll cover how to make the dishes I think are most essential. In learning how to make them, you’ll be set to feed yourself and the people you love.

I’ll explain how each recipe can be riffed on so once you know how to make the basic thing, you’ll actually be equipped to make SO MANY THINGS. I’ll walk through every single step so not only will you leave with some great recipes and ideas for other dishes, but you’ll also take fundamental skills with you (like how to make a salad dressing, how to fry an egg, how to chop vegetables, how to break down a chicken, how to weigh your ingredients for baking, and so much more).

Both classes will be TWO HOURS. The first on Saturday, April 27th starts at NOON EST and the second is on Sunday, April 28th starting at 2p EST.

You can take one or both!

Remember, as always, even if you can’t attend live, signing up means you’ll instantly get the class document and you’ll receive a video recording of the live class on the day it’s held. Hope to see you soon for this fun and informative weekend of cooking!

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PART ONE ON SATURDAY (NOON EST - 2p EST)

Knife Skills / Salad Basics inc. Dressing / Soup / Eggs

We will prepare:

• A Great Green Salad with Classic Vinaigrette

• A Blended Dressing Formula

• Simple Vegetable Soup

• Eggs a Few Ways (Scrambled / Hard Boiled / Fried)

»»» SIGN UP HERE! «««

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PART TWO ON SUNDAY (2p - 4p EST)

Chicken / Leafy Greens / Rice / Baking

We will prepare:

• Breaking Down a Chicken

• Roasted Spiced Chicken + Sweet Potatoes

• Garlicky Greens

• Steamed Rice with Butter

• Buttermilk + Olive Oil Cake

»»» SIGN UP HERE! «««

If you’re celebrating Passover soon or just looking for something to shake up your weeknight dinner routine, might I suggest this delicious chicken recipe that has such long-cooked flavor but takes less than an hour?

To make it, you just season boneless, skinless chicken thighs with salt and pepper (yes, you can use white meat but it will be dryer) and brown the chicken in a little olive oil in a Dutch oven. Then you take the chicken out of the pot and sauté some chopped onion, garlic, and diced apple in the residual fat and add a little cinnamon, some raisins, and red wine. Return the chicken back to the pot, let it all cook over low heat for about half an hour to get the chicken thighs really nice and tender, then serve sprinkled with toasted walnuts and parsley.

It’s just standard braised chicken, but with all of the flavors of charoset (at least the Ashkenazi version I grew up with) — apples, raisins, cinnamon, red wine, walnuts. Charoset is a symbolic Passover food, a paste made of all of those ingredients said to represent the mortar enslaved Jews had to use before they were freed. It’s also sweet, making its symbolism multi-layered. It’s a sign of forced labor and also of the promise of freedom, for Passover is a holiday that commemorates liberation. I am so moved by Rabbi Elliot Kukla’s Torah Reflections from 2017 on this idea of freedom.

I can never celebrate Passover without thinking about collective liberation—how, in the words of Fannie Lou Hamer, nobody’s free until everybody is free. Right now, of course, that means Palestinians and everyone who suffers from war, violence, and genocide (see Rabbi Kukla’s recent piece: “Calling for Ceasefire in Gaza Is How I'm Honoring My Dad, a Holocaust Survivor”). It also means anyone in an abusive situation, whether intimate or political. It means anyone seeking healthcare, including gender-affirming care and abortion, who is unable to access it. None of us are free until we all are.

This might seem like a lot to put on a chicken recipe, but food is always my way into understanding things, especially when things feel so hard to understand. Everyone here always strikes me as especially reflective and compassionate — thank you for your ongoing thoughtfulness.

The recipe is below for PAID SUBSCRIBERS (and includes ideas for vegetarian and vegan alternatives, plus ideas for side dishes). Thank you for your support!

BRAISED CHAROSET CHICKEN THIGHS

Makes about 4 servings 

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs 

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper