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    Where Is My Spoon > Recipes > Chicken and Turkey

    Rhubarb Chicken (Savory Rhubarb Recipe)

    Published by: Adina May 13, 2020 · Last modified: September 26, 2021 31 Comments

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    savory rhubarb recipe with onions and garlic

    Flavorful and tender rhubarb chicken, a savory rhubarb dish to celebrate spring. Tender chicken thighs and an amazing sweet and sour sauce.

    Jump to Recipe
    rhubarb chicken with lots of red sauce with turmeric

    Have you ever tried a savory rhubarb recipe? You definitely should! Start with this rhubarb chicken, once you had this, you will be willing to try anything made with rhubarb! Like, for instance, this chicken rhubarb curry,  this rhubarb fish curry or this amazing rhubarb soup with omelet and bacon.

    A rhubarb recipe again, I can't help it, I like it so much, and now is the time to eat it. In a few weeks, it will all be over... Of course, you can easily freeze it and enjoy it the whole year but still, I like it better fresh and eaten at the right time.

    What can I say about this recipe? The sauce was unbelievable! I loved the tender chicken pieces inside and everything else, but the sauce was the killer. Actually I could have eaten the sauce as it was, just mopping it up with bread, and not really miss the chicken... A sweet and sour, spicy due to a large amount of black pepper, delightful sauce.

    chicken and rhubarb in a bowl close up

    Tips for making the rhubarb sauce

    • You can use whole chicken quarters/legs, which you can divide at the joint.
    • Or you can buy already separated thighs and drumsticks.
    • I prefer to skin the chicken parts whenever making a stew or curry, I don't like the floppy skin.
    • When adding the black pepper to the sauce, start with 1 tablespoon of it, then add up to 2 tablespoons according to your taste.
    • I used about 1 ½ tablespoon and didn't find the sauce too hot, it was just right for me, and there was no complaint about it being too hot from the children either. It probably depends a lot on the sort of black pepper you use.
    • The chicken parts need to simmer very slowly for a longer time, about 1 ¼ hours. That will make them incredibly tender and flavorful.
    chicken thighs and drumsticks in a red sauce with lemon slices

    Step by step

    • Slice the onions and the garlic.
    • Peel and chop the rhubarb. Use the peel to make Rhubarb Syrup, for instance.
    • Fry the meat parts on one side, turn and cook on the other side.
    • Fry the onions and the garlic.
    • Stir in the pepper and turmeric.
    • Add the tomatoes.
    • Now add the rhubarb, honey and lime juice.
    frying onions with spices, tomatoes and rhubarb in a large pot
    • Add the stock and stir well.
    • Return the meat to the pot.
    • Bring to a boil.
    • Simmer, uncovered for 1 ¼ hour.

    Serve

    • We had the rhubarb chicken with rice this time, but baguette or crusty white bread are also great for mopping up that delicious, sweet, and tangy rhubarb sauce.
    savory rhubarb recipe with chicken and tomato sauce

    More savory rhubarb recipes:

    Rhubarb Soup - An easy to make soup – tangy, aromatic and topped with bacon omelet.

    Chicken Green Curry - A very flavorsome chicken green curry coconut milk, raisins, and apples.

    Rhubarb Fish Curry - A special kind of curry with fish, rhubarb and bananas. It might sound strange, but it really works.

    savory rhubarb recipe with onions and garlic
    rhubarb chicken in a bowl with rice on a grey table cloth

    Chicken with Rhubarb Sauce

    Savory rhubarb chicken recipe to celebrate spring. Tender chicken thighs smothered in a delicious sweet and sour sauce.
    4.45 from 63 votes
    Print Pin Share GrowSaved! Rate
    Course: Main Dish
    Cuisine: German
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours hours
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 -6
    Calories: 414kcal
    Author: Adina
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    Ingredients 

    • 10 oz red onions
    • 5 large garlic cloves
    • 4 skinless chicken thighs
    • 4 skinless chicken drumsticks
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 to 2 tablespoons roughly ground black pepper
    • 2 teaspoons turmeric
    • 1 can 400 g/ 14 oz chopped tomatoes
    • 5 tablespoons honey more to taste
    • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    • 1 lb rhubarb
    • 3 cups chicken stock
    • fine sea salt

    Instructions

    • Preparations: Halve the red onions and slice them thinly. Slice the garlic cloves thinly as well. Skin the chicken and divide the chicken legs at the joint, if necessary. Clean and peel the rhubarb, then chop it into small pieces.
    • Fry chicken: Heat the olive oil in a thick-bottomed or nonstick pot and fry the chicken pieces until golden brown all over, about 5 minutes per side. Don't try to move the chicken pieces during the first 5 minutes, the meat will stick to the pan. Once it is browned, you will be able to turn it easily. Take them out of the pan and set aside.
    • Cook vegetables: Fry the onions and garlic without adding any extra oil to the pan for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add a splash of water, if the onions start to stick. Add the pepper and turmeric and fry shortly while stirring all the time. Add the chopped tomatoes and let them cook for 2-3 minutes.
    • Simmer: Add the honey, lime juice, and chopped rhubarb. Return the chicken back to the pan and add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer on medium-low heat and uncovered for about 1 ¼ hour, stirring from time to time.
    • Adjust the taste with salt and maybe more honey or lime juice if you find that necessary.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/6 of the dish | Calories: 414kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 178mg | Sodium: 490mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emily Wilson says

      May 25, 2020 at 7:09 am

      Fantastic dish! Halved the chicken stock and only used 3T-ish of honey. Had over couscous with minced herb medley to great effect.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        May 25, 2020 at 7:45 am

        So happy to read this, Emily. 🙂 Couscous sounds great!

        Reply
    2. Roxanne says

      April 13, 2021 at 11:54 pm

      Made this tonight and it was really lovely. This was my first time cooking rhubarb and I was thrilled to find a savoury recipe. Made it exactly as written and served over broccoli rice. Delicious!

      Reply
      • Adina says

        April 14, 2021 at 9:27 am

        I am so happy to hear it, Roxanne. Thank you for writing. I am looking forward to the fresh rhubarb so I can make it again.

        Reply
    3. Jennifer says

      June 01, 2021 at 1:57 am

      Are you using diced or crushed tomatoes? I used diced tomatoes because that's what we call chopped tomatoes where I live, but the photo looks like you're using crushed.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        June 01, 2021 at 7:48 am

        Hi Jennifer. It doesn't really matter that much, use what you have. I normally use chopped/diced tomatoes for this recipe, the cubes are pretty small. Sometimes I use canned whole tomatoes which I crush myself with the hand directly in the pot.

        Reply
      • Jennifer says

        June 01, 2021 at 12:40 pm

        @Adina, thanks for answering. Made this last night and my 16-year-old, who is super picky, ate 3 drumsticks. That's amazing because he doesn't eat onions, tomato (except in sauce form) or rhubarb (ever).

        Reply
        • Adina says

          June 01, 2021 at 5:23 pm

          I am so glad to hear it, Jennifer. My kids love this too. 🙂

          Reply
    4. Marcia says

      June 02, 2021 at 4:16 am

      I am very confused by the good reviews. I made the recipe as written. I questioned the Tablespoon or more of pepper but put it in (1 Tbsp) as directed. We were very disappointed with the results. The pepper overpowered the rhubarb, lime, onion, garlic and everything else. We are having a bumper crop of rhubarb so I will try it again but cut back to a teaspoon of pepper. We can always add more later.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        June 02, 2021 at 6:50 am

        That sounds ok, I hope it works for you better that way.

        Reply
      • Jim says

        June 12, 2022 at 10:44 pm

        @Marcia, if you are using finely ground pepper, instead of roughly ground, 1tbsp ends up being a lot more pepper.

        Reply
    5. Jennifer says

      June 21, 2021 at 5:24 pm

      Hi, I have someone who is using your recipe and got to a point where she had browned everything and made the sauce but had to leave to run errands. She's hoping she can transfer this into the stove later to finish the dish. She was hoping she could put it in the oven at 350 or 375. Is it possible?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        June 21, 2021 at 5:42 pm

        We actually told her to put it in a crockpot and simmer it there.

        Reply
      • Adina says

        June 22, 2021 at 7:09 am

        Hi Jennifer. Only saw the comment now. I hope it worked with the crockpot.

        Reply
    6. Heidemarie says

      December 06, 2021 at 1:23 am

      Excellent dish and wonderful to have something different to do with rhubarb!
      I used fresh tomatoes with a dollop of tomato paste and think it still worked fabulously. A friend who found the pepper a little intense, added a little plain yoghurt to good effect. We are both going to make this again. Thank you Adina 🙂

      Reply
      • Adina says

        December 06, 2021 at 8:02 am

        Thank you for the feedback! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Julie says

      April 24, 2022 at 5:27 pm

      5 stars
      This was great, made the curry then added with grilled chicken and Tifu as we are a divided house.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        April 24, 2022 at 6:36 pm

        Sounds great, Julie. Thank you for the feedback.

        Reply
    8. Jim says

      June 13, 2022 at 1:26 am

      5 stars
      turned out great, was tired of just using rhubarb in pies and getting loads right now. modifications I made:
      – added a bit of creole seasoning when frying the onions
      – squirt of sriracha during the simmer
      - white wine/cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken the sauce up
      – served over coconut brown rice

      Reply
      • Adina says

        June 13, 2022 at 7:00 am

        Thank you for the feedback, Jim. It sounds great.

        Reply
    9. Kim says

      July 03, 2022 at 12:32 am

      Can I use frozen rhubarb? Can't wait to try this!!

      Reply
      • Adina says

        July 03, 2022 at 1:40 pm

        Hi Kim. I never did, but I think it's ok.

        Reply
    10. JoAnn says

      July 08, 2022 at 9:38 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! I used 2 chicken breasts instead of thighs and drumsticks. I T of pepper was plenty for us. For step 4, I used my electric pressure cooker, and it turned out more like soup. My guess is that there is evaporation that takes place when cooking on the stove, which doesn't occur in a pressure cooker. We added some cooked rice, and it was great. When I make it again, I will probably reduce the amount of chicken stock to 2 cups.

      Reply
    11. Lynda says

      July 31, 2022 at 4:37 am

      4 stars
      My family really enjoyed the flavours in this recipe but after only 30 minutes of simmering the chicken was falling apart. Will definitely make it again with less stock and probably leave the rhubarb in larger pieces so there is still some texture. The rhubarb, honey, lime and turmeric combination is really tasty!!

      Reply
    12. Linda says

      October 15, 2022 at 8:25 pm

      Yummy. Didn't peel the rhubarb as we never have. Excellent thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    13. Sally Wilkins says

      May 10, 2023 at 12:48 pm

      Is it really ten onions?? Seems like a lot for 4-6 servings? Looking forward to trying this tomorrow.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        May 10, 2023 at 4:58 pm

        Hi Sally. Not 10 onions but 10 oz or 300 g onions, those would be 2-3 onions depending on their size. Happy cooking!

        Reply
    14. Colleen says

      June 12, 2023 at 11:34 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious and unique dish, I add about twice as much honey as the recipe calls for and still nicely tart

      Reply
      • Adina says

        June 13, 2023 at 6:28 am

        Thank you. I am so happy to hear you liked it.

        Reply
    15. Jane Eames says

      June 13, 2023 at 7:24 pm

      5 stars
      Tried this today and we both loved it. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
    16. Ilona says

      July 12, 2023 at 11:56 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe. I changed it a bit. I used less chicken stock and added 1 tablespoon of brown sugar along with maple syrup instead of honey. Next time I make it I might add a little ginger to it as well.

      Reply

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