Weeknight Chicken and Rice, Manchego-Style

Bone-in chicken and short-grain rice simmer in saffron stock with smoked paprika and lemon. It echoes Red Threads at First Light, when La Mancha pickers raced the dawn to gather red stigmas before the bloom wilted.

Serves 4

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Ingredients

• 6 bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 cups short-grain rice
• pinch saffron threads
• 3 1/2 cups warm chicken stock
• 1 large onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lemon

Instructions

1. 1Bloom the saffron threads in warm chicken stock.
2. 2Season the chicken thighs with salt and smoked paprika, then brown them skin-side down in olive oil in a wide skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat, remove and set aside.
3. 3In the same pan, sauté the chopped onion and garlic with the bay leaves until translucent, add the rice and stir until lightly toasted.
4. 4Return the chicken to the pan, pour in the remaining stock and the saffron-infused stock, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on low heat for 25 minutes until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.
5. 5Finish with fresh lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice before serving.