Portuguese Chicken and Rice

I love this dish and it was one of my youngest brother, Bruno's, favorite meals.....he even requested it for his birthday :)

It's so easy to make but sooooo good, I think the favorite part for me is the rice.

So here we go, I don't have a recipe for it persay, it's all locked in my memory somewhere.

GALINHA NO FORNO COM ARROZ - PORTUGUESE CHICKEN AND RICE

1 whole chicken cut up, or 1 lb chicken thighs (I used the thighs this time)
1 onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
Half a pound of bacon
1 1/2 cups of rice
Salt and pepper to taste


For the chicken rub:

4 tablespoons of softened butter
olive oil
paprika
garlic powder
a little bit of salt


Fill a pot halfway with water, add the chicken, bacon, onion, bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken, bay leaf, onion and bacon to a bowl and set aside.

Pour 1 and a half cups of rice into the chicken broth and cook for about 20 minutes until the rice is cooked.

In the meantime, in a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons of softened butter

Add the olive oil and paprika, garlic powder and a little bit of salt, mix well until smooth

Spoon the rice into a greased 13 x 9-inch pan

Next layer the chicken on top, spread it out a bit so that you have room for the bacon and onions.

See how some of that yummy rub is seeping into the rice??? That is going to make it SO good.

Add the bacon and onions, placing them between the chicken thighs

Bake in a 425 º oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is brown and bacon is nice and crispy. If you want, you can also pop it under your broiler for about 5 minutes or so just to give the skin and the bacon more crispy, it's so good.

You won't believe the amazing flavor the rice gets from the bacon and the onion. Hope you enjoy it!