Here is another one of my super quick and easy meal ideas. This is a great no-fuss dinner for a week night, or one of those Saturday nights at home with a good bottle of wine and a movie. All that's required is a little bit of marinating earlier in the day (you could do this before you go off to work or even the night before), and that is the only bit of prep-work involved in the dish at all. Then stove-top to table-top is really only as long as it takes to cook chicken - about 30 minutes in total.
You will need:
free-range, organic chicken pieces
smoky paprika
dried oregano
flaky sea salt
chicken stock
white wine (optional)
creme fraiche
freshly ground black pepper
Some chopped fresh herbs to finish (oregano would be ideal, or flat-leaf parsley) is a great enhancement if you have them, but not essential.
Firstly, place your chicken pieces (I used 1kg) in a shallow dish (or plastic bag works well also); drizzle over some olive oil; sprinkle liberally with smoky paprika, dried oregano, and flaky sea salt. Toss the pieces, or give them a bit of a massage, to make sure that all pieces are well coated with the oil and seasonings. Put in the fridge to marinate for as much time as you are able to allow. If you have 8-24 hours that's great, but if you only have half an hour that's fine as well - it's not critical. Also, if you have the time, I like to take the chicken out of the fridge about 1-1/2 hours before I plan to cook, so that the chicken comes back to room temperature.
Heat some olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the chicken to the hot oil, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, then turn and cook the other side. This will take about 10 minutes, and you may have to do this in batches - take care not to overcrowd the pan during this "browning" stage.
Once you have browned all your chicken pieces, pour white wine into the pan if you're using it (I used about 75mls), allow it to bubble up and deglaze the pan. Then pour in the chicken stock (I used about 150mls) and return all the chicken pieces to the pan, skin side up. Simmer vigorously until the chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile cook some rice. Once the chicken is cooked through, dish rice up onto a large serving plate, and place cooked chicken pieces on top.
Return skillet to the heat, and add creme fraiche (I used 250g) to the chicken juices and stock in the pan. Stir over heat until the creme fraiche has completely dissolved and sauce is hot and bubbling. Pour some of the sauce over the platter of chicken, add a sprinkling of fresh herbs if you have them and serve immediately. Serve the extra sauce in a jug.
This could not look more delicious. I adore smoked paprika. And creme fraiche?? This is just my type of dinner. I'm trying this once our weather cools off. I would love this with mashed potato, to soak up all that sauce.
ReplyDeleteI have recently been using more of the smoked paprika...it really adds a different flavor. Fantastic! This looks like a meal that would be a huge hit at my house :-)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a wonderful dinner! We eat so much chicken in my house, that I'm always looking for more recipes. Of course anything with a cream sauce is a winner!
ReplyDeleteHi Sue! Paprika has been popping up a lot for me lately as something I want to explore. My mother did not use it a lot when I was younger, so to me, it is just one spice in a rack, but I am learning that there is much more to it than meets the eye! I also wanted to pop in and say Thank you so much for guest posting on my blog and helping me to remember why Yoga was something I loved so dearly and giving me the courage to try again! You can view the post here: http://amoderatelife.com/?p=472 Can't wait for my crew to get to know you better. :) hugs! Alex
ReplyDeleteRed Delicious - thanks for stopping by - this would indeed be excellent with mashed potato, also pasta.
ReplyDeletePierce - thanks for visiting - I've been using lots of smoked paprika too - it is such a unique flavour.
Danielle - who doesn't love a creamy sauce and the thing I love about using creme fraiche is that it's so forgiving and won't split or curdle.
Alex - hope you enjoy experimenting with some paprika - I only fairly recently discovered just how many varieties there are with varying degrees of sweetness or smokiness as well as heat. I like a moderate hot smoky.
Sue