This is a recipe I’ve been cooking for over 20 years and it’s a true taste of Spain. It comes from Delia Smith’s summer collection cookbook, which I dragged around in a backpack when I first came to Australia. A backpacker has to eat you know!
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 1.75kg chicken thigh
- 2 large red peppers
- 2 medium red onion
- 50g sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 2-3 tbs olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 150g chorizo sausage
- 225 ml level in glass measuring jug of basmati rice
- 275 ml chicken stock
- 170 ml dry white wine
- 1 tbs tomato puree
- ½ tsp hot paprika
- 1 tsp chopped fresh herbs
- ½ large orange cut into wedges (in season I use blood oranges)
- Salt and Pepper
- *optional 50 g pitted black olives halved – my husband doesn’t like them so I don’t put them in and to be honest don’t miss them
METHOD
1. Season the chicken joints well with salt and pepper
2. slice the red peppers in half and remove the seeds and pith, then slice each half into six strips.
3. Peel the onion and slice into strips of approximately the same size.
4. The dried tomatoes should be drained, wiped dry with kitchen paper and then cut into ½ inch (1 cm) pieces.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide, shallow casserole dish and, when it is fairly hot, add the chicken pieces – two or three at a time – and brown them to a nutty golden colour on both sides. As they brown remove them to a plate lined with kitchen paper, using a draining spoon.
6. Add a little more oil to the casserole, with the heat slightly higher than medium. As soon as the oil is hot, add the onion and peppers and allow them to brown a little at the edges, moving them around from time to time, for about 5 minutes.
7. Add the chorizo, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and toss these around for a minute or two until the garlic is pale golden and the chorizo has taken on some colour.
8. Stir in the rice and, when the grains have a good coating of oil, add the sun-dried tomato paste, paprika and chopped thyme.
9. Pour in the stock and wine, and add some seasoning. As soon as everything has reached simmering point, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Add a little more seasoning, then place the chicken gently on top of everything (it’s important to keep the rice down in the liquid).
10. Place the wedges of orange in among the chicken and scatter with olives (if using).
11. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C), for 1 hour, until the rice is cooked but still retains a little bite.
Serve with fennel and blood orange salad
