It’s a healthy vegan fat that performs beautifully at high heat (read: it won’t scorch and and start to taste funny while you’re getting that beautiful brown chicken skin). Combined with ginger, garlic, and tomatoes, coconut oil helps create a silky braising liquid for the chicken. Finishing the dish in the oven ensures the chicken skin stays crisp while the meat cooks up tender and juicy.

What you’ll need:

1 tablespoon coconut oil
4 bone in skin on chicken thighs
1 small onion
2 oz ginger
4 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon dried red pepper flake
12 oz tomatoes
½ cup basmati rice
few sprigs fresh cilantro
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper

Equipment:

small saucepan
large oven-proof skillet

Recipe steps:

Cook Rice
In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water, rice and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered, until rice is tender and water is absorbed, 15 minutes.

Prep vegetables
Preheat oven to 425°. Peel and finely chop onion, ginger and garlic. Roughly chop tomatoes.

Cook chicken
Heat coconut oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Starting skin-side down, cook chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Build sauce
Add onion, ginger, garlic, and half to all of the crushed red pepper flakes (depending on your heat preference). Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and ⅓ cup water and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

Finish chicken
Return chicken to skillet, skin-side up, and transfer to oven. Cook until chicken registers 165° on an instant read thermometer, about 12 minutes.

Serve
Divide rice between plates and spoon chicken and tomatoes over top. Top with cilantro leaves. Enjoy!

Suggested Sips: a light beer like a pale ale