Braised Chicken Thighs with Smoked Paprika
Why I Love This Recipe
This is a chilly Sunday evening comfort food dish. I used boneless chicken thighs which decreased the cooking time bit. Nevertheless, the chicken was falling apart when I removed it from my Dutch oven. Recipe suggests serving with white rice or corn tortillas. I thought it was fabulous on its own.
Ingredients You'll Need
8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
2 large carrots, sliced on the bias into 1/2-inch rounds
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika (or pimenton)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (28-ounce) can peeled tomatoes with their juice
Directions
Trim excess fat from chicken thighs and season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or deep ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate. Cook remaining chicken and transfer to plate. Combine onions and carrots in pan. Add remaining salt and sauté about 6 minutes. Add garlic, bay leaves and sherry; cook 2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add paprika, chili powder, oregano and cayenne and stir until vegetables are coated with spices.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Add tomatoes (using your fingers to break them up) and their juice and cook 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan; cover and bake 2 1/2 hours.
