Spiced Red Rice Chicken

Ingredients

• 0.25 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 Large onion (Finely chopped)
• 1 Bell pepper (Finely chopped)
• 3 Garlic cloves (Grated)
• 1 tsp Cumin seed
• 0.5 tsp Cayenne pepper (Optional)
• 0.25 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 0.5 tsp Smoked paprika
• 0.333 cup Tomato paste
• 1 Lemon (Zest and juice; zest goes into the rice, juice is squeezed over the dish at the end)
• 1.5 cup Basmati rice (Rinsed 3 times until the water runs clear)
• 3 cup Water
• Kosher salt (To taste; season the chicken and vegetables generously)
• Cracked black pepper (To taste; season the chicken and vegetables generously)

Steps

1. 1

   Rinse the basmati rice three times, until the water runs clear, and set it aside.

2. 2

   Season the chicken thighs generously on both sides with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.

3. 3

   Heat the olive oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat.

4. 4

   Place the chicken thighs skin-side down in the hot oil. Sear undisturbed for about 5 minutes, until the skin is crisp and releases naturally from the pot.

5. 5

   Flip the chicken and sear the other side until golden. Remove the thighs from the pot and set aside.

6. 6

   Add the chopped onion and bell pepper to the same pot. Season well with salt and pepper, and sauté while scraping the golden bits from the bottom of the pot.

7. 7

   Grate the garlic directly into the pot.

8. 8

   Add the cumin seed, cayenne pepper, turmeric, paprika, smoked paprika, and tomato paste. Cook the mixture down, then let the tomato paste caramelize for a couple of minutes.

9. 9

   Add the lemon zest and rinsed rice to the pot, and mix to coat the grains in the spiced tomato mixture.

10. 10

    Pour in the water and mix well. Scrape up any remaining browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

11. 11

    Return the chicken thighs to the pot.

12. 12

    Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and bake in a preheated 425°F (220°C) oven for 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the chicken is cooked through.

13. 13

    Remove the lid and broil for 5 minutes to crisp the chicken skin.

14. 14

    Squeeze the lemon juice over the top to finish.

Notes

The recipe specifies 25 minutes of covered baking at 425°F followed by 5 minutes under the broiler. Season salt and pepper to taste; no exact amounts are given.

Nutrition per serving

• one-pot
• main
• dinner
• chicken
• gluten-free
• oven-baked
• comfort food