Paprika Chicken And Rice

30 mins
Serves 4
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Directions

  1. 1Combine the tomato paste, half of the olive oil, paprika, chilli powder and lemon juice in a large bowl.
  2. 2Mix well, then add the chicken and toss to coat the chicken completely.
  3. 3Place the remaining oil in a large heavy-based frying pan and add the chicken, skin side down.
  4. 4Put over a medium heat and cook for 6-8 minutes, until the chicken skin renders and starts to brown.
  5. 5Transfer chicken to a tray; it won’t be completely cooked at this stage but that’s okay as it will be added back to the pan soon.
  6. 6Add the rice to a bowl of water, enough so it’s completely covered.
  7. 7Dice the red onion and finely dice the carrot.
  8. 8Add the diced carrots and onions to the pan you cooked the chicken in, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until softened.
  9. 9Deglaze the pan with a little of the stock, scraping off the fond from the bottom.
  10. 10Add the cinnamon and cumin, season with some salt and cook for 2 minutes, until aromatic.
  11. 11Drain the rice, add it to the pan and stir through the vegetables to combine well.
  12. 12Add the remaining stock and return the chicken to the pan.
  13. 13Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to very low, cover with the lid and cook for 15 minutes.
  14. 14Remove the chicken and set aside on a tray.
  15. 15Discard the cinnamon stick.
  16. 16Give the rice a stir, then add the spinach.
  17. 17Cover with the lid again, turn off the heat and let sit for 2 minutes.
  18. 18Uncover and stir the spinach through the rice.
  19. 19Serve with the chicken on top of the rice.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 0.25 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 lemon lemon juice
  • 4 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 cup longrain rice
  • 440 ml chicken stock
  • 200 g baby spinach

Equipment

large bowllarge heavy-based frying pantray

Tips

  • Do not fully cook chicken in the first step, it will finish cooking with the rice.
  • Deglaze the pan with stock to get all the flavorful fond.
  • Let the spinach sit in the hot rice with the lid on for 2 minutes off the heat.