Brazilian Farofa Chicken Skillet

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 1/2 cups cassava flour (farinha de mandioca)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs
• Salt and black pepper

Steps

1. Pat the chicken dry and season it with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat and brown the pieces in a single layer for 5 to 6 minutes, turning, until cooked through to 165F (74C). Lift them out.
2. Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan and cook for 6 minutes until soft, then the garlic for 30 seconds. Tip them out with the chicken.
3. Wipe the pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat, and add the cassava flour.
4. Stir the farofa constantly for 6 to 8 minutes, until it turns from pale to a warm sandy gold and smells toasted and nutty.
5. Never stop stirring and never raise the heat. Cassava flour scorches in seconds and there is no rescuing a burnt batch.
6. Season the farofa generously with salt; it is bland without far more than seems reasonable.
7. Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan and fold everything together off the heat, so the farofa coats the chicken while staying loose and crumbly rather than turning pasty.
8. Squeeze the lime over, scatter with the scallions and herbs, and serve at once with lime wedges.

Allergen note: Contains dairy.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.