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January 10, 2026

Good morning! Today we have for you:

Zainab Shah’s murgh chole. Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

There’s no such thing as too many chickpeas

We have a lot of chickpea content here at New York Times Cooking. We have recipes, of course. Lots of recipes. We also have a phrase to describe that phenomenon of standing in the canned bean aisle and wondering if you have any chickpeas at home, thinking, Well, might as well pick up a can just in case, and then returning home to realize that you now have 12 cans of chickpeas. We call this chickpea anxiety, and we have a video to help you deal with it, as well as merch.

I’m here to defend our going gonzo for garbanzos (thank you), given how very healthy they are — and how inexpensive and easy to find. And, of course, how they look like perfect little peaches (or, you know, butts).

So pull out a can of chickpeas — or two, if you’re doubling the recipe to put some in the freezer for later — and make Zainab Shah’s murgh chole, or chicken and chickpea curry. Zainab’s weeknight-friendly take on the dish browns boneless, skinless chicken thighs before simmering them with chickpeas in a tomato gravy that’s vibrant with ginger, garlic and green chiles. This dish is exactly what I want to eat to keep the January scaries (cold weather, gray skies, “circling back”) at bay.

Featured Recipe

Murgh Chole (Chicken and Chickpea Curry)

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Three cheers for chickpeas

Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Coconut Curry Chickpeas With Pumpkin and Lime By Melissa Clark 16,048 30 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Simon Andrews. Tzatziki Chickpea Salad By Hetty Lui McKinnon 3,330 15 minutes Makes 4 servings

Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini Masala Chickpeas With Tofu and Blistered Tomatoes By Yewande Komolafe 1,424 35 minutes Makes 2 to 4 servings

Today’s specials

Carrot risotto with chile crisp: I can’t resist the discounted “ugly” produce at my farmers’ market, and I recently brought home a basket of carrots that are hilariously, endearingly squat and lumpy. No matter — into the food processor they’ll go for this five-star dish from Alexa Weibel, which contrasts the carrots’ soft, earthy sweetness with crunchy, tingly chile crisp.

Spaghetti with arugula and sardines: Whole wheat spaghetti, garlic, lemon, oily sardines, spicy arugula, chile flakes, Parm and olive oil. Ali Slagle has put together the midnight pasta/quick lunch/Sunday breakfast (top with a fried egg) of my dreams.

Make-ahead egg, spinach and feta wraps: These protein-packed, fiber-full wraps from Naz Deravian are the perfect January weekend cooking project, and just the dish to cross several items off your New Year’s checklist: eat better breakfasts; eat more greens; meal prep when possible. But, I must say, I could really have used these in November and December to offset many questionable “dinner” choices, and will thus be relying on them both now and when my social calendar picks up after my winter hibernation.

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Carrot Risotto With Chile Crisp By Alexa Weibel 1,883 30 minutes Makes 4 servings

Andrew Bui for The New York Times Spaghetti With Arugula and Sardines By Ali Slagle 30 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings

Joel Goldberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. Make-Ahead Egg, Spinach and Feta Wraps By Naz Deravian 1,031 55 minutes Makes 5 wraps

And before you go

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Jo Wollschlaeger of Portland, Ore., and Sandy Shroyer of Montpellier, France, who nominated my writing for Frank Bruni’s collection of the Best Sentences of 2025. How kind, and what an honor! And what a lovely moment to revisit the power pairing that is chicken and anchovies (or chicken and fish sauce).

Looking again at Rio’s spicy chicken wings, punchy and potent with garlic, ginger, fish sauce and red yuzu kosho (or hot sauce boosted with lemon), I’m inspired to try out that marinade-glaze combination on skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs — or, indeed, a whole chicken. It’s not that I don’t love wings, I just want as much chicken and ’chovy goodness as possible.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Rio’s Spicy Chicken Wings Recipe from Rio Irie Adapted by Melissa Clark 593 35 minutes, plus overnight marinating Makes 4 to 6 servings

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