Yikes! A Chicken that Conquers the Chuck Horrors

Mom used to refer to those moments of compulsive eating or stress binging as the chuck horrors, a term fitting for the upcoming holiday. I love horror movies, but after a week of Army of Darkness, Dirt Boy, Eight-Legged Freaks, Hell Comes to Frogtown, Dreamcatcher, The Omen, Rosemary's Baby, Ninth Gate, Fearless Vampire Hunters and Ghost Story on DVD and Stephen King's Dark Tower VII on the ipod I had whipped myself into a Halloween Chuck Horror Frenzy. I needed something rich enough to appease my ferocious hunger but easy enough to prepare so I wouldn't miss any of the gory parts of Scream/Scream 2. Not that I didn't make excuses to check the pot when Drew Barrymore gets done in.

Chuck Horror Chicken (makes two servings. ok, four)

Package of 8 chicken thighs. Give up on the breasts. They have no flavor, they dry out, and they're expensive. The only good breasts are in Blood from the Mummy's Tomb.

Generously season the thighs with salt and pepper then brown them in 1/2 stick of butter and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Reduce heat to low and add 1 whole peeled onion, one celery stick, 3 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 ancho chile and 1 chipotle chile, 1 cup small carrots, 1 teaspoon each of Mexican oregano, cumin and coriander.

Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of white rice, 1/4 cup of mixed lentils,two cans of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of wine. Simmer on medium to medium low heat for about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for about 10 minutes - it may be hard to wait, because it smells so good, but it would be like eating out of Mount Saint Helens.

Serve in big bowl and garnish with smoked Kosher salt.