Moroccan Red Harissa Chicken

Ingredients

3 red bell peppers
3 red chile peppers such as Fresno, or Holland finger peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 skinless chicken thighs, boneless
Salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped,
1 bay leaf
1 small piece cinnamon stick, or a pinch ground cinnamon
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and grated or pasted
1 onion, finely chopped,
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika, (2/3 palmful)
1 teaspoon cumin, ground, (1/3 palmful)
White wine vinegar
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 cups basmati, or other white long grain rice
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

Directions

Char the bell and chile peppers under a hot broiler until the skins are evenly blackened.
Place in a bowl and cover to cool to handle.
Wipe the charred skins away with paper towels and seed the peppers.
Reserve for later use.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil.
Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides.
Add the chicken to the hot oil and brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove the chicken to a plate and reduce the heat a bit.
Add the garlic, bay leaf, cinnamon, ginger, onions, paprika, cumin and some salt and pepper, and cook to soften a bit, stirring occasionally.
Add a splash of vinegar.
Place the peeled peppers in the bowl of a food processor with 1 cup of the stock, and process until pureed.
Add the puree to the pan, thin with about 1/2 cup water and slide the chicken back into the pan.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and finish cooking the chicken through.
Turn off heat and cover until you serve.
To serve, heat the remaining 1 1/2 cups stock (or 1 cup stock and 1/2 cup water) and the butter to a boil with the rice.
Bring to a bubble, then reduce the heat to low and cover.
Simmer the rice for about 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let stand 5 to 10 minutes, then fluff with fork.
In shallow bowls, top the rice with the chicken in spicy sauce, garnish with scallions before serving.
Get Rachael's shopping list for this episode's recipes here.