Frying the Chicken:
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Preheat the oven to 400F. Prepare the chicken first. Place the chicken on a tray and pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Drizzle lightly with avocado oil, then season generously with salt all over. Preheat a large, deep sauté or braiser pan over high heat and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot and slightly smoking, add about half of the chicken to the pan, skin side down first. Fry for 3 to 5 minutes without moving, until the skin is golden and crispy. Turn and fry on the other side.
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Fry the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Once the first batch is ready, remove it from the pan and set aside. Once all the chicken is browned, return it to the pan and season the chicken all over with smoked paprika and ground black pepper and fry for 1 minute. Remove the chicken from the pan and set side.
Preparing the Pepper Rice:
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Reduce the heat down to medium and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the diced onion and red bell pepper. Saute the mixture for 4 to 6 minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
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Next, add the roasted pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato pasta, salt, paprika and all the dried herbs. Use a spatula to mix everything thoroughly. Add the rice next and toss it in the pepper mixture until it’s well coated.
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Pour the chicken broth into the pan and allow the mixture to come up to a simmer. Return the browned chicken into the pan, placing over the rice, skin side up.
Cooking the Pepper & Chicken Rice:
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Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and transfer into the preheated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the rice and chicken are done cooking. Remove the lid and turn on the oven broiler on ‘low’ heat. Broil on low for 4 to 5 minutes, to make the chicken skin crispy and golden.
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For serving, first remove the chicken from the rice, then use a large fork to fluff up the rice and mix in the peppers. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and enjoy.
