Recipe: Mardi Gras - Blackened chicken with dirty rice

INGREDIENTS

Blackend chicken:

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp garlic salt

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp white pepper

1 tsp oregano

½ tsp dried thyme

1 tsp paprika

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

6-8 chicken thighs (depending on how many will fit in your pan)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Dirty rice:

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 sticks of celery, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1 red pepper, sliced into strips

100g chorizo, sliced in half-moons

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp paprika

2 cloves garlic, minced

250g basmati rice

2 tbsp white wine

900 ml hot chicken stock

To serve:

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3 spring onions, chopped

1 jalapeno, sliced

Pinch of chilli flakes

Allergens are marked in bold

Preheat the oven to Circotherm 170C. Mix together the spices for the blackened chicken and rub onto the skin of the chicken thighs.

Heat the oil in a shallow, wide oven-proof pan (the pan should be big enough to hold the chicken in one layer with room to spare). Place the chicken thighs in the hot pan, skin-side down. Cook for 4-6 minutes until the skin is golden brown. Turn oven and cook for another couple of minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pan and add in the onion, celery, jalapeno and red pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the onions are just starting to soften.

Add in the chorizo and cook for a further two minutes. Add in the cayenne pepper, paprika and garlic. Stir, then add in the rice. Stir again to coat the rice in the oil. Add in the white wine and let it cook through for a minute, then add in the stock. Give the rice a stir, then nestle the chicken evenly amongst the rice, skin-side up.

Place a lid on the pan and place in the oven to cook for 35-40 minutes – until the rice is tender. Take out of the oven and sprinkle with parsley, spring onions, sliced jalapenos and chilli flakes before serving.