Chicken Thighs With Chorizo, Spring Onions, and Rice Pilaf

This Spanish-inspired chicken dinner is short on time but long on flavor, thanks to a clever combination of dried chorizo and a triple dose of alliums, aka spring onions, red onions, and garlic cloves. The rice pilaf is a riff on a classic Spanish dish called fideos—essentially pan-toasted pasta, spiced with saffron and simmered in rich chicken broth. The result is so much more exciting and delicious than your average chicken and rice combo. Keep in theme with an almost effervescent white wine from Spain like txakoli, or a peppery red from Rioja.

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Ingredients

4 ounces dry-cured Spanish chorizo, cut into ¼-in. pieces
4 6-oz. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
¾ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1½ pounds spring onions (about 4 bunches), bottoms halved lengthwise, tops thinly sliced
1 small red onion, cut into ½-in. wedges
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ounce angel hair pasta, broken into 2-in. pieces (⅓ cup)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Preparation

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Cook chorizo in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.

Step 2:

Season chicken with pepper and ¾ teaspoon salt. Add to skillet, skin side down, and cook until skin is browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer to plate with chorizo.

Step 3:

Add halved spring onion bottoms, red onion, garlic, and chorizo to skillet and stir to combine. Place chicken, skin side up, on top of mixture and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thighs registers 165°F, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

Step 4:

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium pot over medium-high. Add pasta and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in yellow onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in rice, broth, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 3 minutes.

Step 5:

Top chicken with spring onion tops and serve with rice pilaf.

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