By Julia Uehren, dpa
Cologne (dpa) -
Sicily is known for its sun-ripened lemons, its pungent Nocellara olives and its capers - and all of these ingredients go into the pot together in this recipe.
Rice and white beans provide not just a hearty base: while the rice absorbs the chicken stock and all the flavours completely, the creamy beans add a velvety richness and body to the dish.
Chicken thighs are the meat topping. They are briefly seared skin-side down before all the other ingredients go into the pot, then cooked on top of the rice in the oven. Anyone who likes the chicken skin really crispy at the end should remove the lid for the final few minutes and switch on the grill function.
My wine recommendation takes us straight to the island, of course: a sun-drenched Grillo from Sicily, with its delicate citrus and peach notes, its scent of Mediterranean herbs and its briny freshness, brings exactly the right balance to the salty capers and olives.
Ingredients for 4 servings
- 800 g boneless chicken thighs
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 organic lemon
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 95 g Nocellara olives (pitted)
- 250 g long-grain rice
- 300 g white beans (drained weight)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 600 ml chicken stock
- 3 tbsp capers
- 15 g parsley
Method
- Pat the chicken pieces dry with kitchen paper and cut into smaller portions if necessary. Season on both sides with salt, pepper and paprika. Wash the lemon and cut into thin slices. Peel the onion and garlic. Roughly dice the onion and cut the garlic into thin slices. Cut the olives into slices as well. Rinse the rice and beans in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Melt the butter in an ovenproof pot and briefly sear the chicken pieces skin-side down over a high heat until the skin is lightly browned. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (top and bottom heat).
- Fry the lemon slices in the remaining fat over a medium heat until lightly browned. Reduce the heat slightly. Add the onions and garlic and fry until soft.
- Stir in the rice, beans, chicken stock, olives and capers. Season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken pieces in the pot and put the lid on. Place the pot in the oven and cook the one-pot dish for around 40 minutes. For the final 3-5 minutes, remove the lid and switch on the grill until the skin of the chicken pieces is crispy and golden brown.
- Wash the parsley, shake dry and roughly chop the leaves. Remove the chicken pieces and the lemon slices from the rice. If you like, you can finely chop some of the lemon slices and stir them into the rice - they add a pleasant hint of bitterness to the dish.
- Stir the parsley into the rice and season again with salt and pepper if needed. Serve the rice and arrange the chicken pieces on top. – By Julia Uehren/dpa
