We are thrilled to bring to you one of our favorite dishes from our friend, Dale Gray, the beloved cook behind the Instagram account @thedaleyplated and her amazing blog, and her beautiful new cookbook South of Somewhere. This dish is inspired by classic Spanish cuisine which first sears the chicken in olive oil and then, when the chicken is removed to rest, the hot oils are joined by the garlic, onion and chorizo, and simmered until aromatic and turning a rustic red from the paprika in the chorizo.

Into this amazing hot flavored oil, in which the chorizo has added its deep umami flavor of aged pork fats, we added chicken bone broth, tomatoes (Dale’s recipe calls for San Marzano tomatoes from Italy, the very best for cooking), roasted red bell peppers, herbs and a mix of the best table olives on planet Earth… Castelvetrano, Piquillo, Manzanilla, Spanish Queen, Kalamata, Gordal, Beldi and any other awesome table olive you can find at the olive bar.

For the Spanish Chorizo we love the Palacios brand Chorizo, especially the Iberico heritage breed, with absolutely amazing deep ancient flavors… and easily available on Amazon.

Now the pan is deglazed with a fruity vinegar (we like Sherry vinegar from Spain for this dish) and then the chicken is transferred back to the oven ready pan, along with the cherry tomatoes, and is roasted until it leaves its Earthly chains.

This little feast is an umami delight, and we thank Dale for her wonderful recipe and much appreciated admired cookbook. Best to grab your copy and dive into these dishes, along with her very moving life story, and her journey from South Africa to the American South. Enjoy!

Reproduced from The Daley Plate, created by Dale Gray…

Prep Work…

The best result here is obtained when the chicken is seasoned ahead of time (up to 24 hours) and placed in the fridge to soak up all the flavor of smoked paprika. This step is optional but ensures that the meat is seasoned throughout.


Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes – 1 hour Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 bone-in chicken thighs with skin on 


1 teaspoon (sea) salt


1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper


1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika


2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


2 fresh rosemary sprigs, needles stripped

1 medium yellow onion, sliced


6 cloves garlic, minced (or crushed)

4 oz Spanish chorizo sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thck


2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar


1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers


1 14.5 oz can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand 


2 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary


1 cup whole or pitted mixed olives


1 1/2 cups chicken stock, (we use bone broth that we boil down ourselves from a rotisserie
 chicken)

2 tablespoons lemon juice to squeeze over after +

several sprigs fresh rosemary, to serve top

1 pint cherry tomatoes on the vine

Cooking…



Season chicken with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Allow to sit outside of the fridge covered for 30 minutes to that it comes closer to room temperature. This will help the flavor soak into the meat and also give you a more tender result at the end. If you have some time, season the chicken and cover then place in the refrigerator overnight for best results. Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Heat a cast iron skillet or braiser to mediums, add olive oil and the rosemary needles to flavor the oil. After about 30 seconds, sear the chicken for 5 minutes per side until browned then set aside.

Add onions, garlic and chorizo to pan and sauté until onions are translucent (5 minutes)

Deglaze the skillet with red wine vinegar (or sherry), scraping any bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon.

Add red peppers, tomatoes, rosemary, olives and chicken stock then stir. Simmer until reduced slightly (5 minutes) and add your chicken plus optional cherry tomatoes on the vine.

Put a lid on and simmer on medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes OR bake/roast uncovered at 350F until chicken is 165F/75C internal temp. For me that’s about 25-30 minutes but the timing will differ based on the thickness of your chicken. That instant read thermometer will come in handy here. If you’ve chosen to cook it on the stovetop the skin will not be crispy – I recommend placing the skillet under the broiler of your oven for a few minutes to crisp up the skin.

Remove from the oven. Before serving, add fresh rosemary or rosemary crisped up in some olive oil in a small pan over medium heat.

Save the olive oil used to dip fresh bread into, it’s heavenly!

Squeeze optional lemon juice over and serve over rice, polenta, vegetable mash or pasta.

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