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Home rice Spiced rice, sausage, and chicken

Spiced rice, sausage, and chicken

Name: How to cook Spiced rice, sausage, and chicken - cookcic.com
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: Us

Introduce

Chef :

Robert Gonzal

Spiced rice, sausage, and chicken

This dish, which kind of falls somewhere between paella and jambalaya, was a happy accident. It came about a few nights ago, when I repurposed some leftover tomato pilaf (I've been all about pilaf lately). Rather than simply nuking the rice, I dumped it into a pan and sprinkled on some homemade fajita spice. The result was amazing, way beyond what I expected. The rice was fluffy, soft but my mushy, super-flavourful, and even formed a bit of oh-so-irresistible socarrat (the crusty, crunchy bottom of a paella that everyone fights over). I decided to repeat the dish, but with a few extra ingredients. Once again, it turned out fantastic. The only niggle was that the socarrat wasn't quite as prominent (as you can see in the picture). Dinner was running late and I had to get food on the table... what's a cook to do? Nobody seemed to mind, anyway. They were too busy devouring delicious rice.

Ingredient

Food ration :

4 to 6 servings

Cooking time :

1 hr

2 cups

long grain rice

large onion, chopped

3 cloves

garlic, minced

3 tbsp

tomato paste

1 cup

dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)

3 cups

chicken stock

chicken thighs, boneless and skinless

3 links

Italian sausage

zucchini, chopped

green bell pepper, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp

smoked paprika

1 tbsp

kosher salt

1 tbsp

freshly cracked black pepper

1 tbsp

garlic powder

1/2 tbsp

onion powder

1/2 tbsp

cayenne powder

1/2 tbsp

dried thyme

1/2 tbsp

dried oregano

1/2 tbsp

ground toasted cumin

1/2 tbsp

chipotle powder

Cooking instructions

* Step 1

Using a strainer, rinse the rice under cold running water for a few minutes, then set it aside to drain.

* Step 2

Add a knob of butter and a few tbsp olive oil to a medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Throw in the onions and let the fry just until they start to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and fry another 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and fry until the paste darkens and dries out slightly, about 2 minutes.

* Step 3

Add the rice to the saucepan and stir to combine. Let fry for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is shiny, translucent, and nutty smelling. Pour in the wine and cook about 2 minutes until the wine is absorbed. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Let cook undisturbed for about 25 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Fluff with a fork.

* Step 4

Chop the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and toss them in a bowl with a small splash of veg oil and a heap tsp of fajita spice. Set it aside to marinate (you can actually do this first, before the rice).

* Step 5

Add a small splash of veg oil to your largest pan and put it on medium-high heat. Remove the casings from the sausage and crumble the meat in. Add the chicken. Let fry until the meats are cooked through and lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Don't worry if the sausage and chicken give off excess grease; you'll need it to toast the rice. Add the veg and fry another 2 to 3 minutes just to soften them. Season lightly with salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

* Step 6

Transfer the rice to the pan and sprinkle on another tsp or two of spice. Toss carefully to combine. Cook, tossing frequently, until the rice dries out slightly, which will take about 3 or 4 minutes. Then, resist the urge to touch the pan again for about 10 minutes to allow the socarrat to form. Serve immediately.

Note: if there is a photo you can click to enlarge it