Asian-inspired chicken thighs with rice and spinach

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 chicken legs
• 500 g rice, black
• 500 g spinach, fresh
• 2 large onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 pieces of ginger
• 2 chili peppers
• 100 g shiitake mushroom(s)
• 3 spring onions
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 bunch of coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp, heaped flaxseed
• 2 lemons
• Pumpkin seed oil
• salt and pepper
• Five-spice powder
• Paprika powder
• Coriander powder
• 1.2 liters of vegetable broth
• 1 shot of white wine
• Olive oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

Wash and pat dry the chicken thighs. Season with coriander, five-spice powder, paprika, salt, and pepper, and set aside. Dice one onion. Chop two cloves of garlic and one chili pepper. Slice the mushrooms and ring the spring onions; I always use all of them. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Briefly sear the chicken thighs in a pan. It’s best to use a pan that will hold all the thighs side by side. Remove the thighs and sauté the onions, garlic, and chili. After 5 minutes, grate in the zest of one lemon and a piece of ginger. Add the mushrooms and spring onions, fry briefly, then add the rice and stir-fry. Deglaze with the stock. Squeeze one lemon and add the juice. Season everything with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder and, if you like, a dash of soy sauce, and bring everything to a boil briefly. Place the chicken thighs on the rice, cover, and place in the oven with the lid on for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the lid and leave in the oven until the liquid from the rice has evaporated. This takes about 45 minutes. If you like, you can add a little more spinach. While the thighs are cooking, wash 500g of spinach and set aside. Slice the remaining garlic and onion. Chop the chili pepper. Grate the ginger. Sauté everything together; I always use pumpkin seed oil for this; it tastes really good. Gradually add the spinach and fry. When the spinach has wilted, add a good dash of soy sauce and a splash of wine. When everything is ready, add the lemon juice from the second lemon and the flaxseed. Remove the pot from the oven, remove the thighs, stir the rice, and scatter the chopped coriander over it. Tip: I always cut off about 3 cm from the bottom of the spring onion and then put it in water for 3 days. When the roots are a bit stronger, I plant it. This way I use it about three times and I always have fresh spring onions at home.