Chicken and Butterbean Paella

Serves 6 to 8

Nestled alongside the Cumberland Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains is the town of South Pittsburg, Tennessee, home to Lodge Manufacturing Company, maker of cast-iron skillets since 1896. My most often used pan is my cast-iron skillet. I use it practically every day. It’s beautiful, with a shiny satin finish, and black as the blackest coal. Once I use it, I wash it in warm soapy water, dry it well, and store it in the oven so it continues to dry in the residual heat of the oven. Some folks say you’re not supposed to wash cast iron, but my grandmother Meme always did, so I do the same. I inherited my pan when my grandmother passed away, and it’s well over seventy years old. It may be just a common skillet, but it is more precious to me than the finest bone china. It represents my love of food and family. It’s more than a kitchen tool; it’s my Southern talisman. 

Lodge also has a line of seasoned carbon steel—including a 15-inch paella pan perfect for this recipe. I love that this century-plus-old Southern company has adapted, grown, and changed with the times.

• 3¾ cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-fat low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
• 2 cups shelled fresh butterbeans (about 1½ pounds unshelled) or frozen butterbeans
• Generous pinch of saffron
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (4-pound) chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
• 2 tablespoons pure olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with salt (see note)
• 1½ cups long-grain rice
• 1 tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped
• 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons parsley leaves

1 Heat the oven to 350°F.

2 Combine the stock, butterbeans, and saffron in a saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the beans are just barely tender, 15 minutes.

3 Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a very large skillet or 15-inch paella pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken without crowding. You may need to cook in batches. Cook until well browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.

4 Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the pan. Add the onion and cook until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the rice and stir to combine.

5 Add the tomato, bay leaf, and thyme. Pour in the stock with the butterbeans and stir to combine. Return the seared chicken to the skillet and nestle it into the rice. Make sure the stock covers the rice, and add more if needed. Transfer to the oven and cook until the rice is tender, the liquid has been absorbed, and the chicken is cooked through, 40 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

6 Return the pan to medium heat on the stovetop. Cook until the rice on the bottom is crispy, 5 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.