Cuban-Spiced Chicken Thighs with Chorizo and Rice

From Bon Appetit, January 2007

My friend Tracy and I made this for dinner last night, and it was quite tasty. Tracy's Le Cruset French oven (5.5 qt) was perfect for this recipe. I would recommend serving with a crusty bread for sopping up the broth. The ingredient list is long, but most of it is spices and things you probably have on hand (rice, etc).

Makes 6 servings

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro stems
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp finely grated lime peel
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp chopped seeded jalapeno chile
2 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground alspice
10 chicken thighs with skin and bone (about 4 1/2 pounds)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb fully cooked Spanish chorizo or Portuguese linguica sausage links, cut into 1/4 inch rounds (we used some homemade bratwurst that Tracy had)

2 cups finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups arborio rice or short-grained white rice
2 1/2 cups (or more) low-sodium chicken broth (Tracy must have used a lot more, because the final dish was very brothy-enough to soak up with bread)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika
1/4 tsp saffron threads (we didn't use this)

1/2 cup corsely chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Whisk first 11 ingredients in medium bowl for marinade. Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag; add marinade. Seal bag; turn several times to coat chicken. Refrigerate chicken at least 4 hours and up to 1 day, turning bag occasionally. Using tongs, transfer chicken from bag to plate, allowing excess marinade to drip back into bag. Reserve marinade.

heat 1 Tbsp oil in heavy large wide pot over medium heat. Add chorizo and saute until beginning to brown and fat begins to render, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to medium bowl. Increase heat to medium-high. Add half of chicken, skin side down, to pot. Saute until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Pour off all but 3 Tbsp of fat from the pot. Discard excess fat. Add chopped onions; saute for 4 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Add chopped bell pepper and chopped garlic. Saute until onions are translucent, about 2 minutes. Mix in rice, stirring to blend with vegetables. Add 2 1/2 cups broth, tomatoes and any juice, paprika, saffron, and reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, stirring to blend. Return chicken, chorizo and any accumulated juices to the pot, pressing chicken partially into the rice.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 25 minutes, until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if rice is dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer rice and chiken to large shallow bowl. Garnigh with Cilantro and lime wedges and serve.

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