Around the World: Turmeric Braised Chicken (Lawang)

As we continue our adventure in Afghanistan cooking these next three days of recipes actually made up one meal.  As my husband commented, this was like a supper club dinner, but you did all the cooking.  Yes, the day before Mother's Day I spent cooking this dinner. 

The main dish was this Turmeric Braised Chicken.  A plus to this recipe was that is was made in the slow cooker again.  A negative, on my part, was that I didn't have turmeric.  I tried substituting with some dried mustard and saffron, but I didn't get that deep golden yellow color that turmeric adds.  So, although the chicken came out tender, it lacked in flavor.  Luckily, mixed with rice and the other dishes that we served with this the dinner was tasty.  I wouldn't make this recipe again though, unless I had the turmeric! 

Turmeric Braised Chicken (Lawang)
from Afghan Culture Unveiled

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped or pureed in food processor
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pureed with the onions
3 lbs skinless, bone-in chicken legs and thighs, separated
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
1 ½ cups Greek-style yogurt, room temperature
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Preparation:
 Put the chicken in the crock pot.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Cook the onions and garlic over medium-high heat for 15 minutes until deeply browned. Add the salt, pepper, turmeric, coriander and water to the onions and stir well. Spoon the onion mixture over the chicken, stirring it to evenly cover the chicken pieces. Put on the lid and set the slow cooker on low for 4 hours.

When the chicken is cooked, stir the yogurt and add it along with the cilantro to the crock pot. Give everything a good stir to make sure the yogurt dissolves in the sauce.

Family Rating: So-so.