What’s better then a delicious ONE POT meal..tomato rice and chicken
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 chicken thighs , skin on, bone in
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic , chopped
- 1 onion , diced
- 1 red bell pepper (capsicum) , deseeded and chopped
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomato strips in oil , chopped (optional: but adds flavour)
- 1 1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice , rinsed (arborio rice may also be used for a risotto-like consistency)
- 14.5 ounce (400g) tin crushed tomatoes, with liquid
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth (or chicken stock)
- 1-2 teaspoons salt (adjust to your taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper , (adjust to your taste)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves , chopped
- extra chopped fresh basil (to serve)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1 Preheat oven to 200°c | 400°F. Heat the oil in a large, deep ovenproof cast iron skillet/or pan (over 30 cm or 12-inches). Add the chicken, skin side down; sear for 3-4 mins on medium-high heat. Turn each thigh and sear until golden all over. Transfer the chicken onto a warm plate
2 Add the garlic; fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add the onion and red peppers / capsicum; fry for about 3 minutes or until and onion is transparent. Stir in the sun dried tomatoes, rice, crushed tomatoes and chicken broth (stock). Season with salt, pepper and dried basil. Bring to a simmer and allow the rice to soak up all the tomato flavours
3 Place chicken thighs, skin side up, over rice. Bring to the boil; rotate the chicken in the tomato sauce to coat; cover with foil; transfer to preheated oven and allow to bake for about 40 minutes, or until the rice has softened and absorbed the liquid and the chicken is cooked through. Stir through an extra 1/4 cup of water to the rice ONLY if needed (if rice hasn’t cooked fully).
4 Remove cover; change oven settings to broil / grill on medium heat for a further 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is crispy and golden.
5 Season with extra salt to taste; sprinkle with freshly chopped basil to serve