Portuguese Chicken and Rice
1 whole chicken cut up, or 1 lb chicken thighs
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 ad bacon to a bowl and set aside. Pour 1 ½ cups of rice into the chicken broth and cook for about 20 minutes until 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. Spoon the rub onto each thigh and using your hands, rub it all over, on both sides. Add the bacon and onions, placing them between the chicken thighs. At this point I add another 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces. Bake in a 425 º oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is brown and bacon is nice and crispy.

Laurie’s Notes: I made a lot of this so I did not have a pan big enough to put the whole dinner into. While I cooked the rice on the stove, I finished cooking the chicken with the rub and the bacon and onions for 30 minutes. Then when I served it, I combined the rice and chicken on the plates. It worked out well and tasted very yummy this way also.