chicken with rice, chorizo, and tomatoes

Ingredients

chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 ounces cured Spanish chorizo, diced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

One 14.5-ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes

1½ cups uncooked white rice, any variety

2 cups (475 grams) chicken broth

Directions

Prep the chicken: Spread the chicken thighs on a plate, and season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a large saute pan (it should hold 3 to 4 quarts and have a lid) over medium-high heat, and add 2 tablespoons of the oil.

Brown the chicken on both sides-it takes about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side, 3 to 4 minutes on the second. Transfer it to a plate.

Cook the chorizo and rice: If the pan looks dry, warm the last tablespoon olive oil in it. Otherwise, just add the chorizo, and cook for 2 to 3 min-utes, until it's beginning to crisp.

Next time: more chorizo and also make it on the side!

Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the cumin and paprika, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the wine, and cook until it's almost all reduced, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes plus 2 teaspoons salt. If they're fresh, cook for 5 minutes, until they begin to lose their shape and look a little saucy; this may happen 1 to 2 minutes sooner with canned tomatoes.

Add the rice, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes in the tomatoes and spices. Nestle the chicken thighs back into the pan, including any juices that collected on the plate.

Pour in the broth, and bring to a simmer.

Reduce the heat to the lowest possible simmer, and cover the pan. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender, and the chicken is cooked through.

(If your rice is undercooked, add ¼ cup water and cook for another 5 min-utes.)

To get the rice crispy: With the lid on the pan, increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, moving the pan around every minute or so, allowing the bottom to color evenly, until the rice is dark and crispy underneath.

You'll hear it crackling in the pan. Remove it from the heat, and let it rest with the lid on for 10 minutes. The steam that collects helps it to loosen.

Serve the chicken with the rice, scraping up stuck bits from the pan with a thin spatula.

Serve w pita bread?