Cranberry Chicken Thokku #CranberryWeek

Welcome to Day Two of #CranberryWeek, hosted by Caroline's Cooking and A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures. We'll be sharing cranberry-inspired creations all week long in celebration of national cranberry day.

 Search #CranberryWeek to keep up to date and follow the #CranberryWeek Pinterest board for more cranberry inspiration. But first, see all the other cranberry recipes being shared today:

• Baked Pork Chops with Cranberry Thyme Sauce from Hostess At Heart
• Cranberry Caipirinha from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Cranberry Chicken Thokku from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Cranberry Cornbread Dressing from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Cranberry Oatmeal Sourdough Muffins from Cooking With Carlee
• Cranberry-Sage Breakfast Sausage from Palatable Pastime
• Jaegerschnitzel with Cranberry-Raspberry Sauce from Caroline’s Cooking
• Pumpkin Cranberry Bread from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks

Determined to create some cranberry dishes with an international bent, I posted Georgian Pork Shashlyk with Tkemali yesterday. Today, I'm posting a Cranberry Chicken Thokku.

"What's Thokku?" you ask.

Thokku lies somewhere in between a chutney and a pickle. It's tangy and spicy and I thought it would be the perfect canvas for our berries of the week.

Cranberry Thokku

Ingredients

• 1 C fresh organic Cranberries
• 1 organic white onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 T oil (I used olive oil)
• 1/8 t ground turmeric
• 1 T black mustard seeds
• 1 T tamarind pulp
• 2 to 3 T water
• 1 T vinegar
• 1/2 to 1 t red chile pepper flakes
• 1 to 2 t organic dark brown sugar, as needed
• freshly ground salt, as needed
• freshly ground pepper, as needed

Procedure

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they start to pop and dance, add turmeric, cranberries, and onions. Sauté until cranberries begin to pop, approximately 10 minutes.

Add in the tamarind, water, vinegar, and pepper flakes. Stir until the tamarind is dissolved. Stir in sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.

Cool completely before spooning into a sterile jar. Refrigerate until needed.

Roasted Cranberry Chicken Thokku

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 t ground cardamom
• 1 t ground paprika
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• 1/2 t ground coriander
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 t ground turmeric
• 3/4 t freshly ground sea salt
• 3/4 t freshly ground black pepper
• 6 T cranberry thokku
• olive oil
• noodles or rice, for serving (I used gluten-free sweet potato noodles)

Procedure

Place chicken thighs in a lidded container where they can lay flat in a single layer. Add the remaining ingredients and rub the spices into the meat. Drizzle with olive oil and cover the container. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you want to start cooking. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place chicken in a baking dish. Drizzle with more olive oil. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Spoon 1 T of the cranberry thokku over each thigh and return it to the oven for another 10 to 12 minutes.

To serve, place your noodles or rice on an invidual plate. Top with a roasted chicken thigh. Spoon even more Thokku on the top, if desired.