Chicken with Fruit & Almonds

This is a spice-rich chicken braise that reads like a Mughlai court dish. Twelve spices and aromatics (saffron, star anise, coriander, ginger, chili powder, lemon zest, garlic, and more) combine with homemade coconut milk and plum jam to create a sauce that’s simultaneously creamy, tangy, and warmly fragrant. Served over rice with toasted coconut and whole blanched almonds throughout.

The coconut milk is made from scratch. Grated coconut steeped in hot milk for 30 minutes, then strained. This gives you a lighter, more delicate coconut flavor than canned coconut milk, and the strained coconut gets toasted in butter until golden and crispy, then stirred back in at the end for texture.

That spice paste (onion, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, plum jam, and all the dry spices) gets mixed separately and set aside. Building the paste before cooking means every bite of chicken gets coated evenly. The plum preserves add a subtle fruity sweetness that ties the saffron and star anise together without tasting like dessert.

Star anise and saffron in the same dish is an unusual pairing, and it works because the coriander and ginger bridge the gap between them. The licorice-like star anise gives the sauce a deep, mysterious base note while saffron adds its floral, honeyed character on top.

Ten minutes of covered simmering is all the chicken breast pieces need. Any longer and they’ll dry out. The sauce should be fragrant and slightly thickened by the time the chicken is tender.

Chef Tips

• Press the steeped coconut between paper towels before toasting. Excess moisture will steam it instead of browning it
• Toast the coconut in the butter-oil mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly. It goes from golden to burnt in seconds
• Crush the star anise before adding so its flavor distributes more evenly
• Cut chicken into even one-inch pieces for uniform cooking

Variations

• Use chicken thighs instead of breasts for a richer, more forgiving cook
• Replace plum jam with apricot preserves for a lighter fruit note
• Add a handful of golden raisins or dried apricots during the simmer for more fruit character