Saffron Rice
Chicken
Jacques Pepin
from yeticat
This
dish is always welcome at our house. Although the classical version of the
recipe includes sausage, I omit it here and use chicken legs, which are more
moist than chicken breasts. I remove the skin from the legs before cooking
them; it tends to get gummy and adds a lot of fat without improving the taste
much. The dish is made with short-grain or Arborio rice that I flavor with
alcaparrado, a mixture of unpitted olives, capers, and red pepper that is
available commercially in specialty food stores and some supermarkets.
Large Chicken Legs Without Carcass Bones (About 3 1/4 Pounds)
1 Tablespoon Virgin Olive Oil
3 Medium Onions (About 1 Pound), Peeled And Sliced Thin (4 Cups)
4 to 6 Cloves Garlic, Peeled And Coarsely Chopped (2 Tablespoons)
1 1/2 Cups Arborio Or Short-Grain Rice (10 Ounces)
3 Bay Leaves
1 Cup Peeled And Diced Tomato
1 1/2 Cups Mixture Of Unpitted Green Olives, Capers, And Red Pepper (Sometimes
Called alcaparrado)
1 1/2, Tablespoons Chopped Jalapeno Hot Pepper (More Or Less Depending On Your
Tolerance For "Hotness")
1 1/2.Teaspoons Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoon Saffron Pistils
2 1/2 Cups Water
Tabasco Hot Pepper Sauce To Taste (Optional)
Cut off the end of each drumstick, remove the skin from the chicken, and cut off
and discard any visible fat from the flesh. Cut the legs in half at the joint so
you have thighs and drumsticks.
Heat the oil until hot in a large skillet. Add the chicken pieces in one layer,
and saute them over medium to high heat, turning them occasionally, for 10
minutes, until they are browned on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate,
and set it aside.
Add the onion and garlic to the drippings in the skillet, and cook them for
minutes. Add the rice, and mix well. Stir in the bay leaves, tomato, alcaparrado,
jalapeno, salt, and saffron. Add the water, and mix well.
Return the browned chicken pieces to the skillet, pushing them down into the
liquid and rice until they are imbedded in the mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce
the heat to low, cover, and cook gently for 30 minutes without stirring.
To serve, place 2 pieces of chicken and some of the rice mixture on each of four
dinner plates. If desired, add Tabasco to taste, and serve immediately.
Serves 4
