Chicken and Rice

If you're anything like me, there is always rice and frozen chicken hanging around. I always make it in a pinch or if I just feel like making something quickly. I really wanted to change it up so I found this recipe where else... thechew.com. I really enjoyed this and Brian tried saffron for the first time. 

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 pounds chicken-cut into pieces
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 spanish onion-roughly chopped
• 1 red bell pepper-roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (i used a sofrito mix by goya)
• 2 1/2 cups rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/4 cup chopped green olives 
• fresh chopped parsley to garnish
• fresh chopped cilantro to garnish

Jalapeno Aioli

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 jalapeno-finely minced
• 1 clove garlic-finely minced
• 1 lime-juiced and zested
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

• Heat a dutch oven over medium high with a few tbsp of olive oil. Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper on all sides. Cook until golden on all sides, about 10 min. Remove from pan to a plate.
• Combine the onion, pepper, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add to the pan with more oil as needed. Season with salt. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until soft and slightly caramelized. Season with the paprika.
• Add the tomato paste and allow to cook until darkened. Once tomato paste is dark plum colored, add the rice and toast for 2 minutes
• Deglaze pan with white wine then pour in chicken stock. Stir in the saffron, bay leaf and olives and top with chicken. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until rice is cooked. 
• For the aioli-whisk together the egg yolks, jalapeno, garlic, a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Whisk in olive oil until emulsified.
• Serve the chicken and rice with parsley, cilantro and aioli.