I am a total geek about meal planning and I couldn’t wait to get home last night to prepare this meal. Though there are many ingredients and a lot of steps, it is relatively easy. And the taste? Outstanding! This rich stew, seasoned with an array of heady and healthful spices, is the perfect weeknight meal, and extremely easy to double, providing lunches and meals the rest of the week. The trick to keeping tabs on how much time you spend in the kitchen each week is to prepare for a few meals at one time. This one-pot dish is perfect. We served it with the Kale and Arugula Salad we made earlier this week.

Ingredients

• 6 boneless chicken thighs
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 cinnamon stick,
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1 cup pitted olives (I used green and black)

Preparation

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, working in batches if necessary, and cook until well browned on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Decrease the heat to medium. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until soft and slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic powder and sauté for 1 minute. Add the turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in 1/4 cup of the broth to deglaze the pot, stirring to loosen any bits stuck to the pot. Stir in a pinch of salt and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the remaining 1 3/4 cups of broth, the lemon zest, and lemon juice. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken, artichoke hearts, and olives and stir gently to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.