Saffron Chicken and Rice

Carter is home so we have to make real meals. No just eating leftovers like Russ and I do when we are alone. In honor of Carter’s video on The physiology of comfort food we are having Chicken and rice. Not just any Chicken and rice, but Saffron Chicken. Only issue is that Russ had to send us photo’s of every item on the grocery list to make sure he was getting the right thing. For the record they all were right and he didn’t need to text us the questions.

It is an incredibly simple meal, but so yummy

8 -bone in, skin on Chicken thighs

2 large yellow onions, chopped

4 cloves of garlic minced

2 cups of rice

12 Oz. Bag of frozen peas

4 cups of hot chicken stock

Giant pinch of Saffron

Juice of a lemon

Preheat the oven to 450°

Heat a large skillet on high. Dry the chicken with a paper towel and sprinkle it liberally with salt and pepper. Place the skin side down in the hot skillet and cook until the skin is crispy and releases from the pan, about five minutes. Flip the chicken over and brown the other side about four minutes.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. You want to keep the skin crispy so do not pile it up, but keep in a single layer.

Add the onions and garlic to the skillet with the reserved chicken fat. Cook on medium for about three minutes, add the raw rice and mix together, toasting the rice. Add the peas, hot stock and saffron, which you rubbed between your fingers as you put in the pan. Bring the whole thing to a boil and then pour it in an oblong baking dish. Nestle the chicken, crispy side up and skin not submerged into the rice. Place in the hot oven and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for five minutes. Squeeze a little lemon juice on it then serve.