Tender chicken thighs and spiced rice come together in this easy, one-pot meal that hails from Latin America and Spain.
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 6 large chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Rice:
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 yellow or red bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock or water
- 1 ½ cups white rice, such as basmati
- 1 jar Pearls Specialties Martini with Vermouth olives, drained
- 1/3 cup frozen peas
- handful cilantro leaves
- lime wedges, for serving
Cooking Instructions
- In a large, shallow bowl or baking dish, stir together the olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken thighs and turn to coat them in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a wide dutch oven or braising pan set over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken thighs skin side down and cook until golden, 7-8 minutes. Flip the thighs over and cook until golden on the second side, 4-5 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Pour off all but 4 tablespoons of the fat from the pan.
- Return the pan to medium heat. Add the onion and bell peppers and cook until the vegetables are tender, 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon salt, and the rice. Cook for 1-2 minutes to toast the rice and spices.
- Add the tomato and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Place the browned chicken thighs on top of the rice mixture and arrange the olives around the chicken.
- Pour in the water or stock and add the bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and continue cooking until the rice is tender, 25-35 minutes. Check the rice occasionally and add a splash more water or stock if needed to cook the rice through.
- Remove from the heat and add the peas. Cover with the lid until the peas are bright green, 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve warm with lime wedges on the side.
