In 2008, Kim Sunee published a memoir called Trail of Crumbs. It’s the captivating true story about the first 28 years of her life as she moves in the world from being a three-year-old toddler abandoned by her mother in a Korean marketplace to being the adopted daughter of an American family living in New Orleans to becoming an independent, international traveler wandering the world in search of home and self.

I discovered Trail of Crumbs just this fall and found it so interesting that I included it in my list of favorite books to recommed for 2024. Full of compelling questions about cultural identity, the long-term effects of abandonment, and the universal desire to find a place that naturally feels like home, Kim’s memoir is full of luck, loss and the awkawrdness of becoming your true self. The recommended book list post has a much more in-depth review of Kim’s journey, so if you’d like to learn more about the book catch up here first.

In addition to sharing her coming-of-age story, Kim also includes a collection of recipes peppered throughout Trail of Crumbs that represent her international identity. Korean Kimchi Soup, Swedish Potato Temptation, French Fry Po-Boys with Horseradish Creme Fraiche, Croque-Madame Sandwiches, Whispery Eggs with Crabmeat and Herbs, Peaches Poached in Lillet Blanc and Lemon Verbena are just a few examples. In her book, food, acts like a second storyteller defining the way in which Kim moves about the world. These recipes are her confidence, her calling card and also her comfort blanket.

I tagged about ten different recipes in Kim’s book that I can’t wait to try. Given the winter weather, the merry season, the busy time of year when easy dinners are appreciated, and the larger crowds that come to the table for holiday celebrations, I thought it would be ideal to highlight her recipe for Chicken Thighs with Cinnamon and Dates. It’s easy to make, feeds up to eight people and fills the kitchen with tantalizing aromas.

This chicken recipe with its fruit and its spices appears in the middle of the book when Kim is living in France and is involved in a passionate love affair with the French founder of a well-known cosmetics company. Just like the recipe itself, this European romance is sweet, tender, and stuffed full of exotic appeal but it’s also very complex with lots of moving parts, outside influences and Kim’s own internal stops and starts. It winds up defining her life in ways she couldn’t have anticipated. This love affair is central to the whole entire book, so in case you haven’t already read Trail of Crumbs, I won’t say anything more so as not to spoil the story for you. Instead, we’ll begin our own little romance with this lovely recipe. Let’s get to cooking.

An easy, spice-infused one-pot meal that slow simmers for an hour and a half, Chicken Thighs with Cinnamon and Dates is a cozy and colorful recipe perfectly paired for the wind-chilled winter months. With its aromatic combination of oranges, onions, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, cilantro, paprika and garlic plus two proteins, it is a flavorful ensemble fit for a feast. Once the onions start swimming in the olive oil and the spices are incorporated one by one, the kitchen warms with the scent of holiday cooking. Similar to a wonderful recipe my mom used to make when I was growing up, one that she simply called Israeli Chicken, Kim’s recipe is a savory blend of Middle Eastern and North African flavors punctuated with a bit of Indian spice. For added convienence and a bit of trans-continental flair, in addition to cooking it in the oven, this recipe can also be made in a tagine or in a large pot on the stovetop slow simmered over medium heat.

Before we dive into the recipe, just a quick note. I followed Kim’s ingredient list exactly as written with the exception of a few minor substitutions based on local availability. I used skin-on chicken thighs in place of skinless and purple raisins in place of golden. I used a locally made spicy Italian pork sausage, and Dole brand whole pitted dates. In the last step, just before the chicken heads into the oven, I used homemade chicken broth. Other than that, this recipe was made as is, and it came together beautifully. Here, I’ve posted Kim’s original recipe as published in her book so that you’ll have the first-hand ingredient list that she intended.

Chicken Thighs with Cinnamon and Dates

from Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee

serves 6-8

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 sausage links (such as Merguez, spicy Italian pork, or lamb) about 1/2 lb.

6-8 skinless chicken thighs

1 1/4 teaspoonssalt, divided

3/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1 large onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, smashed and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon hot paprika

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/3 cup golden raisins or currants

2-3 carrots cut lengthwise and halved on the bias

1 large orange cut into eight wedges

12 to 15 dates (preferable Medjool) pitted or 12 to 15 large prunes, pitted

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Garnish of fresh cilantro, toasted almonds, or pine nuts

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof pan or Dutch oven. Cut sausage links in halves or thirds, depending on length, remove casings if desired. Add sausage and chicken to pot in one layer. Sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper. Let cook about 5 minutes. Turn meat over, season with remaining salt and pepper and cook 5 more minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.

Add onion to pot (if brown bits are stuck to bottom, add about 1 tablespoon white wine, water or orange juice, scraping to loosen bits) and let cook about 5 minutes.

Add garlic, ginger cinnamon, cumin and paprika. Stir and let cook about three minutes.

Add chicken broth and orange juice, raisins and carrots and stir. Place chicken and sausage back in pot. Add orange wedges and dates.

Stir, cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour and 30 minutes or until chicken and carrots are fork tender. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning as needed. Top with cilantro and serve.

Kim recommended serving this dish with hot buttered couscous, but since it was so saucy I served it with a batch of plain white rice flavored with just a pinch of salt. Warm and hearty, there was something new and delicious to discover in every bite. The dates took on the flavor of the orange juice. The garlic found its way to the raisins and formed little pockets of savory sweet pillows. The carrots were tender but not mushy. The onions and spices soaked into the chicken, which fell off the bone at the slightest nudge of the fork. All of it was lovely and very delicious.

I’d highly recommend this recipe for both everyday dining as well as special occasion dinner party fare. Its vibrant color palette, layered flavors and long cooking time offer plenty of opportunity to set a pretty table, socialize with friends and family, or read a few chapters from Kim’s book while you wait for it to finish.

If you have a small household and think six to eight chicken thighs is too much, make them all anyway. This recipe lasts in the fridge for several days so you’ll have leftovers. Like any good casserole, curry or homemade sauce, it only gets better the longer it sits.

Cheers to Kim for sharing her story and this wonderful recipe. Hope you love it just as much.

To learn more about Kim Sunee and her cookbooks visit her website here.