Chicken and Chorizo Rice

Chicken and Chorizo Rice
2 Celery Stalks
1 Large onion
5 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 28 OZ can whole tomatoes with juice
Chicken stock
3 Chicken breasts
3 Links fresh Spanish chorizos
2 TSP saffron threads
2 TSP dried oregano
1/4 TSP chili flakes
1 TBS Spanish paprika
2 TSP Kosher salt
1 TSP freshly ground pepper
3 TBS olive oil
1 Cup medium-grain rice
1 Cup frozen peas
1/2 Cup white wine
2 TBS flat leaf parsley

Rice! I make so many pasta dishes, I sometimes forget how great rice is. And how can I forget such a versatile and delicious grain? I'm going Spanish tonight, with this bold, one-pot dish. And when I say bold, I mean bold. You can't go wrong with paprika, saffron (expensive, but worth it), garlic, tomatoes, and chorizo (my new fav). I used pre-cooked chorizo, but if you can find fresh, I'm sure this would taste even better.

Preheat your oven to 200° degrees. Finely dice the celery and onions and crush the garlic. Drain and roughly chop the tomatoes, reserving the juice. Add chicken stock to the juice until it measures 2 cups. Cube the chicken and slice the chorizo into bite-size pieces.

Pre-heat a large pot over high heat, and add the oil. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the chorizo and cook for a few minutes (if using pre-cooked, add the chicken first). Stir and then add the chicken. Let the chicken cook for a few minutes, then turn it over to cook the other side. Add salt and pepper. Remove the meat once it's almost fully cooked. Transfer to a dish and keep warm in the oven while you finish.

With the heat still on high, cook the onions and celery until translucent. Add the crushed garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds; then add the rice and sauté quickly, followed by the saffron, paprika, oregano and chili flakes. Deglaze with the white wine, scraping any bits off the bottom. Once the liquid has evaporated, add the tomatoes, juice, salt, pepper and stir everything together. Turn the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes (no peeking!).

After 15 minutes, add the frozen peas and the warm chicken and chorizo with out stirring. Re-cover and let cook for another 10 minutes. To finish, fold everything together and turn off the heat. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh parsley.