Creamy Paprika Chicken and Rice Skillet
Chicken thighs seared until golden, then simmered with onion, peppers and rice so every grain soaks up the paprika-scented pan juices. A spoonful of sour cream stirred in at the end makes the sauce silky without hiding the sweet pepper flavor.
- Total
- 60 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 40 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Blooming spices
- Savory
- Comforting
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towel and season both sides with 1/2 tsp of the salt and the black pepper. Cut the onion into 1 cm dice and the peppers into 2 cm pieces.
~10 min
Drying the chicken promotes better browning by reducing surface moisture, and seasoning early allows salt to penetrate.
-
Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Lay in the chicken thighs and sear undisturbed for 5 minutes, then turn and sear 4 minutes more, until deeply golden on both sides. They will not be cooked through yet. Transfer to a plate.
~9 min
Searing creates a flavorful brown crust through the Maillard reaction, and the chicken finishes cooking later in the rice.
Searing Sear over medium-high heat without moving the chicken to develop a deep golden crust; a common mistake is crowding the pan or flipping too early, which steams the meat.
-
Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and peppers to the pan and cook for 6 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the paprika and cook 45 seconds, until it smells toasted and darkens slightly.
~6 min
Cooking the spices briefly in fat blooms their flavors, making the paprika taste richer and less raw.
If your peppers are large and release a lot of water, let them cook a minute or two longer before the rice goes in, so the finished dish is creamy rather than soupy.
Blooming spices Cook ground spices in hot fat for under a minute until fragrant; they burn easily, so watch for a toasted smell and slight darkening.
-
Stir in the rice and the remaining 3/4 tsp salt, turning it in the fat for 1 minute until the grains look glossy. Pour in the 600 ml water and bring to a steady simmer.
~1 min
Coating rice in fat helps grains stay separate and absorb liquid evenly, preventing mushiness.
-
Nestle the chicken thighs and any resting juices back into the rice. Cover and cook on low for 18 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid and the chicken reaches 74C/165F in the thickest part. If the rice is still firm, add 2 tbsp hot water, cover and steam 3 minutes off the heat.
~21 min
Nestling chicken into rice allows it to finish cooking gently, keeping it moist while the rice absorbs the liquid.
-
Take the pan off the heat and rest, covered, for 5 minutes so the rice firms and the grains separate. Spoon the sour cream over the surface and fold it through the rice just before serving, so it turns silky rather than splitting.
~5 min
Resting lets the rice firm up and the grains separate; folding in sour cream off heat prevents curdling.
Add the sour cream only after the pan is off the heat. Boiling it into the rice makes it grainy and dull; folding it in warm gives the silky texture you want.