Creole Chicken with Mushroom Dirty Rice

By kelsa94

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons pimenton (smoked paprika)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
• 5 bone-in, skin-on free-range chicken thighs
• 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
• 5 teaspoons creole seasoning (see Step 1), divided
• Grapeseed oil, to oil
• 3 cups assorted mushrooms, such as maitake, shiitake, and oyster
• 2 cups yellow onion, diced
• 5 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 1/2 cups green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 serrano chile, diced
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes, juice and all
• 1 cup long grain rice, such as basmati
• Thinly sliced scallions and parsley, as garnish

Details

Servings 5
Adapted from food52.com

Preparation

Step 1

Serves 5

To make the creole seasoning, combine all the spices and mix well.

In a small saucepan, make a quick mushroom stock by covering the dried porcini mushrooms with 1 1/4 cup boiling water. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, season both sides of the chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and 2 teaspoons of the creole seasoning. In a medium-sized cast iron pan or any heavy bottom pan, heat up a thin layer of grapeseed oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, brown the chicken for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Take out of the pan and set aside.

Roughly chop up the fresh mushrooms and the porcini mushrooms that have been soaking. Make sure to reserve the porcini mushroom liquid, but filter out any soot. In the same pan that you used to brown the chicken, add the fresh mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Sauté over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from pan.

Add the onions and garlic and cook until they are translucent, about 3 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Next, add in the celery, green bell pepper, serrano chile, bay leaves, fresh oregano, and fresh thyme. Season with the rest of the salt and creole seasoning. Sauté until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Toss your mushrooms back into the pan, mix well. Add the crushed tomatoes, rice, and reserved porcini stock. Make sure you stir and coat each grain of rice with the spices and all the yummy vegetable juices.

Lay the chicken on top of the rice mixture skin-side up. Turn the heat down to a low simmer. Cover completely and cook for 30 minutes. After that time, turn off the heat and allow to sit covered for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve the chicken, fluff the rice, and serve topped with generous handfuls of scallions and parsley.