Spanish Chicken and Rice

Have Spanish extra-virgin olive oil at the table for those who wish to drizzle a little over the rice. For more heat, sprinkle some additional dried red pepper flakes on top, too.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
4 chicken thighs
4 split chicken breasts
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 ounces smoked ham, cubed
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
Nonstick spray
2 ½ cups water
1 ¾ cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
⅛ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, crushed
2 cups converted long-grain rice

Bring the oil to temperature in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Put the chicken in the skillet skin side down and fry for 5 minutes or until the skin is browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate and sprinkle the lemon juice over the chicken.
Pour off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the skillet. Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium. Add the ham, onion, and bell pepper; sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion is transparent. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
Treat the slow cooker with nonstick spray. Pour the cooked ham and vegetables into the slow cooker. Add the water, broth, oregano, salt, saffron, red pepper flakes, and rice. Stir to combine.
Place the chicken thighs, skin side up, in the slow cooker and add the breast pieces on top of the thighs. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Place a split chicken breast and thigh on each serving plate. Stir and fluff the rice mixture and spoon it onto the plates.

Adding a Vegetable to Spanish Chicken and Rice

After you’ve removed the chicken from the slow cooker in Step 4, stir in 1 cup (or more) of thawed baby peas. Stir into the mixture remaining in the cooker when you fluff the rice. The heat from the rice should be sufficient to warm the peas so you can serve immediately.