In this hassle-free recipe, tender chicken thighs are seared to golden perfection, infusing the dish with rich, savory goodness, while the olives add a burst of brininess. This balance elevates each bite. Paired with the fragrant saffron rice, this one-pan wonder captures the essence of Mediterranean cuisine without being labeled as traditional paella.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. of Chicken thighs skin on (Roughly 8-10 thighs)
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 bell peppers chopped ( 1 yellow, one red)
• 1 medium fennel bulb sliced and fronds reserved for garnish
• 5 cloves of garlic minced.
• 3-4 anchovy fillets
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 1/4 cup of Bomba or other short grain rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 15 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes broken down into bits with spoon
• 3 to 4 cups of chicken stock
• 1/4 cup halved Castelvetrano olives plus 2 tablespoons of the olive brine
• 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of saffron threads
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parsley leaves for garnish
• Neutral Oil

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
2. Remove the skin from the chicken thighs. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. On a roasting sheet, lay the skins down stretching them out but careful not to break them.
3. Place in the oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken skins have rendered down the fat and have become crispy crunchy. Season with flaky sea salt when done and still hot. Remove from the oven and place on a paper towel and reserve.
4. Over medium heat, in your D3 Stainless Steel 14 inch fry pan, heat 1 tablespoon of neutral oil. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken thighs in batches making sure to not overcrowd the pan. Sear on both sides for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and reserve.
5. In the same pan, add a tablespoon of neutral oil and add the onion, jalapeno peppers, and fennel. Sauté for roughly 4 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic, anchovy fillets, and tomato paste. Continue to cook for an additional minute or until fragrant and the tomato paste has darkened.
6. Pour the rice and saffron into the pan and incorporate with all of the ingredients. Add the white wine and deglaze the pan scraping up all of those brown bits of flavor.
7. After roughly two minutes, the wine should be reduced down. Add the broken down peeled tomatoes, stock, oregano, olive brine, and olives to the pan. Add the chicken back into the pan making sure it is submerged roughly halfway in the broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer and let cook for roughly 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
8. Remove from the heat. In a plastic sandwich bag, add the chicken skins and crumble with a rolling pin. Sprinkle the crumbled skins all over the dish and garnish with some chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Pro Tip

If you cannot find Bomba or any type of paella rice, you can use arborio. It would cook the same as mentioned above.

RECIPE BY

All-Clad Resident Chef Derek Finocchiaro

All-Clad’s Resident Chef Derek has been working with flavors and fragrance for his entire career. Finding a path from perfumery to food, Derek competed on numerous amateur cooking shows which led him to the All-Clad Test kitchen. Here he excels in creating new recipes, blogs, video demos, and food photography for our consumers.