Iberian Chicken

1 red bell pepper

4 chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium to large onion, medium dice

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 14-ounce can of whole tomatoes

2 teaspoons piment d’Espelette

4 strand saffron

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup bomba rice

Salt, pepper

Green onions, for garnish

Char the red bell pepper over a flame. Once it has cooled, peel and seed it. Chop it into a medium dice.

Drain the tomatoes. Reserve the liquid. Dice the tomatoes.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven Over medium heat. Sear the chicken skin side down until it is golden brown. Turn the chicken over and sear for another 2-3 minutes. It’s ok if the chicken is not fully cooked at this point. Remove the chicken to a platter and set aside.

Add the onions to the Dutch oven. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown. Add the bell pepper, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, stirring constantly. Once the garlic becomes fragrant, add the tomatoes, piment d’Espelette, and saffron. Cook this base for 7-10 minutes until the tomatoes start to melt. Add the reserved juice from the tomatoes and the chicken stock. Bring this mixture up to a boil.

Gently add the chicken to the Dutch oven. Cover the pot and let the chicken boil until the chicken is tender. You’ll know it’s done when the skin starts to fall off. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Purée the mixture in the Dutch oven and remove about half of the mixture. Reserve about 1 cup to pour over the chicken. Add the rice, stir well, and bring it up to a boil. Once the mixture boils, lower the temperature so that the mixture simmers. Stir occasionally, adding more braiding liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the chicken with the rice. Pour about 1/4 cup of reserved braising liquid over the chicken.

Garnish with green onions.

Serves 4.