Chicken with Clams

A good friend sent me this recipe its original form was published in the NY Times on 1/27/13. It is very light and packed with lean protein!
TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons grapeseed or Grapeola oil (you could olive if you have nothing else with neutral flavor)
4 chicken drumsticks or thighs, skin on, bone in
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
24 littleneck clams
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts chopped and separated
1/4 cup cilantro stems, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1. Rinse clams 2-3 times in room temp water. Then place clams in bowl and cover with room temp water. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch or flour and mix into water. Let clams sit in this water until you are ready for use. You want the clams to open up and start filtering the water so that they release all of the sand in their shell/body.
2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet or broad pot that can later be covered. When the oil is hot, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and add them to the oil. Regulate the heat so that the meat browns evenly, turning as needed. (Drumsticks have 4 sides, really; thighs only 2, so timing is variable.) When the chicken is well browned, it will be almost done.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute, just until they soften a bit. Add the clams and sprinkle them with the scallion whites and the cilantro stems. Cover and cook until all the clams open, about 10 minutes; they will generate a good deal of liquid.
4. Remove the top and cook that liquid down as desired. (Perhaps not at all, perhaps until syrupy — your call.) Discard any clams that have not opened - they could have been dead before you cooked them and can then cause food borne illness. Serve sprinkled with the scallion greens and cilantro leaves.

Remember not to eat the chicken skin - we were just using it to add flavor and keep the chicken moist!

ENJOY!!