I altered this dish so much that it’s not even close to the original. I found the original recipe on epicurious.com. It called for chicken, which we don’t eat very often. Furthermore, it called for chicken breasts, which I’ve found to be a colossal waste of money. At least in my experience, it’s just cheaper to buy a whole chicken and break it down yourself than it is to buy the parts.
Anyway, I substituted shrimp for the chicken since I found some nice East Coast wild-caught shrimp on sale, but that also meant that I had to alter the rest of the recipe. The original called for you to roast the chicken and chickpeas in the oven for 20 minutes, which just didn’t seem like it would work with shrimp, so I decided to sauté all of it instead.
My husband loved this. It had some kick and, since he has a cold, he was a big fan of anything that would help him breathe.
Shrimp with Chickpeas, Grape Tomatoes and Cilantro (serves 3)
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 15-ounce can cooked chickpeas, drained
12 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp cilantro, minced and divided
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
Red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lemon, sliced
Directions
Mix paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes and olive oil in a medium-sized bowl. Pour 1 tsp into a small bowl and set aside.
Combine chickpeas, garlic, tomatoes, and 1 tsp cilantro into the medium bowl. Toss to coat.
Place the shrimp in the small bowl and toss to coat.
In a medium sauté pan, sauté chickpea mixture until tomatoes are cooked through and chickpeas are warm. Add shrimp and continue to cook until shrimp are in the shape of a “C”, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat, season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice and place in serving dishes. Garnish with remaining cilantro and lemon slices.
Grand Total: $8.94
Niki said,
January 12, 2010 @ 9:38 pm
Sounds like a great recipe! I know you mentioned not wanting to roast the shrimp like chicken. Obviously 20 minutes is too long but with salt, pepper, and olive oil, shrimp roasts beautifully in about 7 minutes. Just a thought!
lechevre said,
January 12, 2010 @ 10:03 pm
I thought about decreasing the oven temperature (since roasting is typically at higher temps than baking) and doing it in the oven, like you mentioned, but went with a saute to avoid having to think about the temperature too much. My brain was already hurting from being in class all day and couldn’t handle much more.
Ashley said,
January 12, 2010 @ 10:06 pm
Oooh I love shrimp recipes. Thanks for sharing this one!!