BAKED CHICKEN PAELLA

BAKED CHICKEN PAELLA image

Yield 4 to 6 people

Number Of Ingredients 18

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Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs of chicken thighs.
4 ripe Roma tomatoes.
1 Medium size onion.
1 Medium size Red Bell Pepper.
2 big garlic cloves.
1 Spanish chorizo or a ¼ lb of diced ham
1 Tablespoon of sweet paprika or New Mexico chili powder, depending on your taste.
1 tsp of black pepper
1 tsp of dry oregano.
1 tsp of ground cumin.
¼ tsp or a "pinch" of saffron
2 Cups of long grain rice
2-1/2 Cups of Dry White Wine
2-1/2 Cups of Chicken Broth
1 can of warm beer
½ box of frozen peas)
Small can of red roasted peppers.
Salt, pepper and olive oil as required.

Steps:

Cut the roma tomatoes in halves and grind them using a hand grater. Throw the skin of the tomatoes away. Sautee the tomatoes. Chop onions and red bell pepper. Slice the chorizo in thin slices (or diced the ham) . Grind the garlic using a hand grater. Sautee the combination in the paellera. Mix it with the tomatoes. Remove it, set aside and let the flavors marry. Now you have a "sofrito". Add a bit of salt and pepper. Rub the chicken thighs (with skin and bones) with olive oil. Prepare a dry rub with the Paprika (or New Mexico chili powder), fresh ground pepper, oregano and cumin and sprinkle on the chicken try to flavor the inside of the skin also. Stick a little sprig of rosemary under the skin. Sprinkle Kosher salt on the chicken. Arrange the chicken thighs on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes at 350 F. When done, let the chicken cool and when able to handle remove the rosemary and chicken skin if desired, and discard. At this time you can remove the bone also but remember the flavor added by the bone. Mix the chicken and the juices and the oil on the baking sheet with the sofrito in the paellera and reheat them. Steep the saffron on a tablespoon of chicken broth. Add some more olive oil to the paellera for cooking the rice. Add the rice, making sure each grain is covered by the heated oil and the sofrito. Start adding the mixture of white dry wine and chicken broth slowly. Bring it to a boil. Add the steeped saffron. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. After 15 minutes add a can of warm beer. The rice should be moist and NOT dry. Add the small green peas and mix them with rice, make it look pretty by arranging the chicken over the rice and garnish with red roasted peppers. Serve it on the paellera.