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Maple Glazed Chicken with Saffron Chipotle Rice

Renée Robinson

Chicken and Rice – A Whole New Level.

I don’t really know where to begin explaining this recipe. Chicken and rice. Let’s face it, while it’s a very well loved and comforting meal, it’s not exactly at the top of the excitement ladder. I guess what I’m trying to say is that while a typical chicken and rice meal will elicit an “Mmmmm, good”, I wanted one that would instead give me a “Wow!!”.

I love rice. Rice of all kinds. I’ve cooked heirloom Carolina Gold a couple of times, but I knew I hadn’t really experimented with it enough to fully experience what it has to offer. This rice is classified as being long grain, but the grains are actually short and plump. They don’t resemble any long grain rice I’ve ever cooked. 

Here is a quote from Anson Mills, from whom I purchased the rice, regarding Carolina Gold Rice: “The grandfather of long-grain rice in the Americas, Carolina Gold is a delicate non-aromatic rice with chameleon starch properties that allow it to produce fluffy, individual grains; creamy risotto; or sticky Asian-style rice, depending on how it is cooked. Exclusively new crop and milled to emulate fresh, hand-pounded rice, Anson Mills Carolina Gold rice has a clean, sweet flavor and mouthfeel superior to modern long-grain rice.”

Well, that’s a lot to live up to, but I was game. Since it was going to be baked I knew I’d need to rinse this rice very well in order to prevent it from being gummy. A lot of starch washed off this rice. A lot. I can see how it could be prepared as a creamy risotto, but that’s not what I was going for here.

After thoroughly rinsing the rice, I poured it into a large baking dish (11 x 14 inches) and then added chicken stock and seasonings. I went full throttle with this, otherwise it would simply be another nice, but forgettable chicken and rice bake. I added the zest and juice of 2 small cara cara oranges, grated garlic, saffron threads, tomato vinegar, Morita chipotle chili flakes, melted butter, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh oregano. Now we were talking. This seasoned stock was powerful. After pouring it over the rice, I covered the baking dish and put it in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, I seasoned chicken thighs with hot smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, and browned them well in a little oil in a hot skillet. It’s very much worthwhile to take your time and get that skin nice and deeply browned. I only browned the skin side, as I knew I wanted to finish these in the oven so that their juices could stream down into the rice. There was no need to brown the bottom side, as this is the side that would be sitting on top of the rice. It wouldn’t stay crisp and I also didn’t want to risk over cooking the chicken.

I removed the rice from the oven, uncovered it and added wedges of Campari tomatoes to the rice. I didn’t stir the rice, I only pushed the wedges down into the rice. I then placed the chicken thighs on top of the rice and returned the dish to the oven. I had increased the oven temperature to 475° and baked it for 10 minutes. 

At this point I drizzled a couple tablespoons of pure maple syrup over the things and put them back in the oven for 5 minutes. That was it. The rice and chicken were both now fully cooked.

So, what did I think of this rice? Well, I ended up with a lightly crisp layer on top where the rice was directly exposed to the high heat oven. All along the edges and down the sides of the dish it had lightly browned. Inside the dish and underneath that top layer was rice that I can only describe as creamy. Each grain remained separate. There was no gumminess of clumping, but it had a distinctly creamy mouthfeel. Kind of remarkable. 

The flavor? Well, I got what I was after. All the seasonings did their job well and melded together into a beautifully flavored meal. The wedges of tomatoes provided a nice fresh bite and the hint of maple syrup glaze on the chicken was like icing on the cake. This meal had it all. I can’t imagine how it could be improved because it really was that good. I made it a couple weeks ago and we haven’t stopped talking about it. I’m going to make it again this week because we didn’t get our fill. And I’m really looking forward to trying out the Carolina Gold rice in other recipes.

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Maple Glazed Chicken with Saffron Chipotle Rice

Recipe by Renée Robinson
Servings

6-8

servings

Crisp maple syrup glazed chicken thighs rest on top of baked Carolina Gold Rice, which is cooked with chicken stock, saffron threads, Morita chipotle flakes, orange juice and zest, garlic and tomato vinegar. Wedges of fresh Campari tomatoes are added during the last few minutes of roasting resulting in a brilliantly flavored dish. Not your typical chicken and rice.

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Ingredients

  • 8 chicken thighs (about 4 pounds)

  • 2-3 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil

  • Hot smoked paprika

  • 2 cups Carolina Gold Long Grain Rice

  • 3 2/3 cups warm chicken stock

  • 1 large or 2 small oranges, zest and juice (1/3 cup)

  • 2 large cloves garlic, finely grated

  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed

  • 3 tablespoons tomato vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons Morita chipotle chili flakes *

  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted

  • 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling on the chicken

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped, plus a few sprigs for garnish

  • 3/4 pound Campari tomatoes (about 9), each one cut into 4 wedges

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 375° with a rack in the center. Making sure the chicken thighs are thoroughly dry, sprinkle them liberally with salt, hot smoked paprika, and black pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large hot skillet. Over medium heat, add half the chicken, skin side down and let brown without moving the pieces of chicken for 5 - 7 minutes. Do not flip the pieces of chicken. You are only browning the skin side. Remove the chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken thighs.
  • While the chicken is browning, rinse the rice in several changes of cold water until the water runs clear. Drain the rice and place it in an oiled 11 x 14 inch baking dish. Combine the warm chicken stock with the orange juice, zest, garlic, saffron, tomato vinegar, chili flakes, melted butter, salt, several grinds of black pepper, and oregano. Taste for seasoning, making sure there is enough salt. This will depend on how much salt is in your chicken stock. Pour the mixture over the rice. Stir gently, cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 475°. Uncover the dish and add the tomato wedges, pushing them down into the rice. Place the browned chicken, skin side up on top of the rice, put back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle the tops of the chicken pieces with maple syrup. Put back in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before garnishing with a few oregano sprigs and serving it up. Enjoy!

16 Responses

  1. Have made this recipe more than once. It is consistently very tasty. Can be made on a weeknight for a great meal. Thanks for this culinary treat.

    1. Thank you!! I’m getting ready to make it this week. It’s one of those dishes that is both comforting and utterly delicious, isn’t it?

  2. FIVE STARS!!!!!
    Halfway through the meal, hubby was asking how soon I could make this again. I was thrilled to discover a new favorite rice – so nutty and creamy, it was like a risotto without all the work. Tomato vinegar was another ingredient introduced to me through this recipe, and I look forward to experimenting with it. The flavors all combine into a yummy whole with lots of depth. This is definitely going in my favorite file.

    1. Well, I couldn’t be happier to hear this, Karen! I’m so glad you love it, too. See what I mean about that rice? It’s incredible, isn’t it? I’ve been using the tomato vinegar in a bunch of things, too. It’s really great in fresh tomato salsa. Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed it!!

  3. Hi Renee! I live in the country and will need to modify this recipe to suit what I have in the pantry (to avoid a trip to the grocery store). Alas, no Carolina Gold rice.
    These are my choices: plain long grain white rice, arborio rice or basmati rice. I also have pearl couscous.
    I’m leaning to plain white rice. What are your thoughts?

    1. Hi, Sharon! I completely agree with you. The plain long grain rice is the closest to the Carolina Gold. This should turn out great. I can’t wait to hear how you like it!!

      1. “Amazing” said husband. “Amazing” said I.
        It’s just delightful in every way.
        I made many substitutions, but only you and I would know.
        White long grain rice for the Carolina Gold. Chili paste for the Chipolte flakes. Navel orange for the Cara Cara. Red wine vinegar for tomato vinegar. Dried oregano for fresh. A half recipe instead of the whole thing. You get the idea. And still Amazing.

        1. I love how you used what you had on hand to make this, Sharon. So happy to hear you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much for letting me know.

  4. Surprisingly quick to put together! Delicious! Totally different dish – the orange and saffron work beautifully with the chicken thighs! Thank you😋

    1. Yes, this isn’t a complicated recipe, is it? I’m so happy you enjoyed the flavors, too. Thanks so much for letting me know. You’re so very welcome!

  5. Hi Renee,

    Really looking forward to trying this dish out – sounds delish! Just curious, have you tried adding whole sweet grape tomatoes instead of the Campari tomatoes? I love how they burst after a short bake – pure sweet flavorful goodness. Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes and inspiration!!

    1. Hi, Nancy –

      I’m so glad to hear you’ll be making this recipe. I can’t stress more strongly how much we love it! As to the grape tomatoes, yes, I use them frequently and they’d be good in this dish, too. I chose the Camparis because I wanted them to melt a little into the rice and give up some of their juices. In other words, because of the high heat I knew their flavors would concentrate and that’s what I was going for here. Please let me know how you like it!

      1. I am new to cooking and I am learning about and purchasing spices. What saffron do you suggest I buy?

        1. Hi, Kate! As to saffron, a good rule of thumb is if it’s too cheap, then it’s probably fake. Look for a well known spice company and you’ll be fine. For instance Burlap and Barrel carries an excellent Herati Saffron and they’re a great company. Always make sure you buy saffron threads – not ground saffron. That being said, the best price for good quality saffron is at my local Indian market. They carry excellent saffron and it comes in a large quantity. I keep it in my freezer so that it remains fresh.I hope this answers your question. Let me know if I can be of any more help. Happy cooking!

  6. This sounds delicious, Renee. I have been using Carolina gold for quite awhile. It is part of the blue zone diet. Thought to be healthier and more nutritious than regular rice. Expensive, especially with shipping, but worth it. I need to make another trip to Charleston to stock up! Please let us know when you try out other recipes with it.

    1. Hi, Sandy! Yeah, I first started cooking with it a couple of years ago, but as I mentioned, I didn’t fully explore the possibilities. I’m getting ready to try out a couple of different techniques. I’ll let you know. I’ve been aware of this rice for quite awhile and I’m so glad it’s been preserved and brought back to life. It’s such a gorgeous and delicious rice. I couldn’t love it more in my recipe. Thank you!

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