Spiced rice, sausage, and chicken

Name: Spiced rice, sausage, and chicken
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups long grain rice; 1 large onion, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio); 3 cups chicken stock; 3 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless; 3 links Italian sausage; 1 zucchini, chopped; 1 green bell pepper, chopped; 1 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika; 1 tbsp kosher salt; 1 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper; 1 tbsp garlic powder; 1/2 tbsp onion powder; 1/2 tbsp cayenne powder; 1/2 tbsp dried thyme; 1/2 tbsp dried oregano; 1/2 tbsp ground toasted cumin; 1/2 tbsp chipotle powder

Robert Gonzal @robert

Vancouver BC

This dish, which kind of falls somewhere between paella and jambalaya, was a happy accident. It came about a few nights ago, when I repurposed some leftover tomato pilaf (I've been all about pilaf lately). Rather than simply nuking the rice, I dumped it into a pan and sprinkled on some homemade fajita spice. The result was amazing, way beyond what I expected. The rice was fluffy, soft but my mushy, super-flavourful, and even formed a bit of oh-so-irresistible socarrat (the crusty, crunchy bottom of a paella that everyone fights over). I decided to repeat the dish, but with a few extra ingredients. Once again, it turned out fantastic. The only niggle was that the socarrat wasn't quite as prominent (as you can see in the picture). Dinner was running late and I had to get food on the table... what's a cook to do? Nobody seemed to mind, anyway. They were too busy devouring delicious rice.

Robert Gonzal @robert

Saved

Ingredients

1 hr

4 to 6 servings

Pilaf
2 cupslong grain rice
1large onion, chopped
3 clovesgarlic, minced
3 tbsptomato paste
1 cupdry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
3 cupschicken stock
Meat and veg
3chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
3 linksItalian sausage
1zucchini, chopped
1green bell pepper, chopped
Spice blend
1 1/2 tbspsmoked paprika
1 tbspkosher salt
1 tbspfreshly cracked black pepper
1 tbspgarlic powder
1/2 tbsponion powder
1/2 tbspcayenne powder
1/2 tbspdried thyme
1/2 tbspdried oregano
1/2 tbspground toasted cumin
1/2 tbspchipotle powder

Saved

Steps

1 hr

1

Using a strainer, rinse the rice under cold running water for a few minutes, then set it aside to drain.
2

Add a knob of butter and a few tbsp olive oil to a medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Throw in the onions and let the fry just until they start to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and fry another 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and fry until the paste darkens and dries out slightly, about 2 minutes.
3

Add the rice to the saucepan and stir to combine. Let fry for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is shiny, translucent, and nutty smelling. Pour in the wine and cook about 2 minutes until the wine is absorbed. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Let cook undisturbed for about 25 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Fluff with a fork.
4

Chop the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and toss them in a bowl with a small splash of veg oil and a heap tsp of fajita spice. Set it aside to marinate (you can actually do this first, before the rice).
5

Add a small splash of veg oil to your largest pan and put it on medium-high heat. Remove the casings from the sausage and crumble the meat in. Add the chicken. Let fry until the meats are cooked through and lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Don't worry if the sausage and chicken give off excess grease; you'll need it to toast the rice. Add the veg and fry another 2 to 3 minutes just to soften them. Season lightly with salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
6

Transfer the rice to the pan and sprinkle on another tsp or two of spice. Toss carefully to combine. Cook, tossing frequently, until the rice dries out slightly, which will take about 3 or 4 minutes. Then, resist the urge to touch the pan again for about 10 minutes to allow the socarrat to form. Serve immediately.