Smoked Paprika Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Several weeks ago Meg bought smoked paprika at Winco and started ragging on Sue about how good it was.  Finally she bought some for Sue, who made a version of this dish and raved about it as well.  Sue gave Meg leftovers of the dish, and we decided we needed to feature the paprika in a Saturday Night Specials.

Winco’s bulk spice supplier for the paprika is Van de Vries.   At this point we are not sure what they call this product for ordering purposes, but we are researching.  We have both fallen in love with this spice… Meg  has actually thrown away the regular paprika in her spice rack.  The mere aroma of this spice is intoxicating.  It evokes memories of smoky outdoors wood fires in exotic places.  Not only has Meg refrained from telling fellow spice shoppers about how good this spice is, but on her last trip she took all but a tablespoon of the paprika in the container, only because it wouldn’t fit in her spice jar.  It’s that good!  But the secret’s out now.

A simple Romaine lettuce salad with white wine vinaigrette was a good match for this meal.  We added about ¼ teaspoon of Herbes de Provence to the dressing and let it sit while we cooked the main course, which allowed the herbs to bloom.  This dressing really complimented the meal.  

This dish seemed to evoke Spanish flavors; so we had flan for dessert. 

 Our unsolicited and biased opinions:

This recipe turned out really well, considering we were inventing it as we went along.  The paprika compliments the vegetables we selected.  This dish is spicy, but not hot.  If you are concerned, start by reducing the amount of paprika to 1 tablespoon.

If you don’t have access to a Whole Foods Market, or other provider of bulk olives, use pitted green olives with herbs to get the same flavors we did.

We thought this wine did not compliment the dish.  It seemed soft and slightly sweet and didn’t stand up to the spices.  Meg thinks that the Dancing Bull Chardonnay from the last blog would have been a better choice.  Another suggestion would be a good Pinot Grigio.

Smoked Paprika Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Developed by Meg & Sue - March 17, 2012

Ingredients:

·         6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

·         14 oz baby red potatoes, about 1 inch diameter

·         3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

·         2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and sliced into 8 wedges per pepper

·         4 -6 large cloves garlic, skins left on

·         2 T smoked paprika,  (Winco bulk bin 1544)

·         7.5 ounces pitted Mediterranean spiced olives (Whole Foods Bulk)

·         2 c low sodium chicken broth

·         4 T olive oil, divided

·         6 medium shallots, peeled and separated by segments

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put potatoes, carrots, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet, coat with 2 T olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Roast in oven for 20 minutes, toss and add pepper slices.  Roast for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.

While the vegetables are roasting, mix the salt, pepper and smoky paprika together in a shallow dish. Add chicken thighs and with your hands rub mixture into both sides of chicken thoroughly.  Chicken will pick up all of the spices.  Heat remaining  2 T olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add chicken thighs and brown on both sides.  (Chicken will not be cooked through at this point.)  Remove chicken from pan.  Add shallots to pan and lightly brown, scraping up the brown bits.  Squeeze roasted garlic into pan.  Add chicken broth and olives and bring to boil.  Reduce to simmer and add chicken thighs.  Cook on medium low, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked  through.  Test for doneness.   Add roasted vegetables and simmer, covered, for about 3 minutes to marry flavors. 

Serve chicken on platter, surrounded by vegetables with remaining broth on the side.

  

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WINE

Bougrier V Vouvray, 2009 Doulce France  / $9.99 at Total Wine