Spanish-Style Tomato & White Beans with Paprika-Grilled Chicken
This will feed 4 adults generously and use about 2½–3 lb of your tomatoes. The beans should end up thick and saucy rather than soupy, with the sliced chicken served over the top.
Total time: ~50–55 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the tomato-white bean braise
- 2½–3 lb ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
- 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini, Great Northern, or other white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika (pimentón de la Vera), preferably sweet
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼–½ tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 tsp kosher salt to start, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1–2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- ½ cup chicken stock or water, only if needed
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup Spanish green olives, such as Manzanilla, pitted and roughly chopped, optional but recommended
- ⅓ cup sliced or slivered almonds
For the chicken
- 1½–1¾ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
- 1½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Zest of ½ lemon
For serving
- Crusty bread, preferably grilled or toasted
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Lemon wedges, optional
1. Get the chicken seasoned
Combine the olive oil, garlic, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Coat the chicken thoroughly and leave it at room temperature while you start the beans, about 20–25 minutes.
You don't need a lengthy marinade here.
2. Toast the almonds
Put the almonds in a large, dry skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Toast for about 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly browned.
Remove them and reserve for serving.
3. Build the tomato base
In the same pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion with a small pinch of salt and cook 5–7 minutes, until softened.
Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Now add the 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, cumin and red pepper flakes. Stir for only about 20–30 seconds. You want the paprika to bloom in the oil without scorching.
Immediately add all the chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper.
Bring to a lively simmer.
4. Cook down the tomatoes
Cook uncovered over medium to medium-high heat for approximately 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
You're looking for a transformation from:
chopped tomatoes → very juicy tomatoes → chunky, concentrated tomato sauce.
Celebrity tomatoes can release quite a bit of water. That's fine; just give them enough heat and an adequately wide pan so some of it evaporates.
Don't take this all the way to a smooth marinara consistency. Some recognizable pieces of tomato are desirable.
5. Grill the chicken while the tomatoes cook
Heat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high/high.
Grill the thighs approximately 5–7 minutes on the first side and 4–6 minutes on the second, depending on thickness, until nicely charred and cooked through (165°F minimum internal temperature).
Move them to a cutting board and let them rest 5–10 minutes before slicing.
The char is valuable here. I'd rather have genuinely browned edges than gently cooked chicken because that smoky grilled flavor plays against the creamy beans and acidic tomatoes.
6. Add the beans
Once the tomatoes have reduced, fold in the two cans of beans.
Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes so the beans absorb some of the tomato, paprika and garlic flavor.
If it becomes too dry, add chicken stock or water a few tablespoons at a time. Conversely, if it's still watery, turn up the heat and cook uncovered for another few minutes.
For the final consistency, think beans suspended in a thick tomato braise, not beans swimming in tomato soup.
7. Finish with acid
Turn the heat down and stir in:
- Chopped olives, if using
- About half the parsley
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Taste.
This is the point where I'd adjust carefully. Add more salt if the beans taste flat, another teaspoon or two of sherry vinegar if the tomatoes taste heavy, or more black/red pepper if it needs some bite.
The vinegar shouldn't announce itself as vinegar. Its job is to make the tomato, paprika and beans suddenly taste more vivid.
8. Assemble
Spoon the tomato-white bean mixture into a large shallow serving bowl or individual bowls.
Slice the rested chicken into fairly thick strips and arrange it on top rather than mixing it into the beans.
Finish with:
- Remaining parsley
- Toasted almonds
- A drizzle of good olive oil
- A little additional smoked paprika, if desired
Serve with grilled or toasted crusty bread.
A couple of adjustments I'd make for garden tomatoes
Don't peel them. For a rustic braise like this, there's little benefit and it adds work. Roughly ¾-inch chunks are fine.
Hold back one particularly good tomato. Dice it fairly small, lightly salt it, and leave it raw. Just before serving, scatter a few spoonfuls over the finished dish. You'll get the deep flavor of the cooked tomatoes plus bursts of fresh garden-tomato flavor.
And if you have a choice of paprika, Spanish smoked paprika is worth using here. Sweet smoked (pimentón dulce) is the safest choice. If you happen to have both sweet and hot Spanish paprika, I'd use roughly 1¾ tsp sweet + ¼ tsp hot in the beans. That gives you smoke and complexity without turning this into a particularly spicy dish.
