African-inspired Paprika Chicken

This recipe actually calls for way more paprika than I used, but even still it was intense, and delicious, and the color of the oil that it left on pans and dishes reminded me of my study-abroad days. This recipe originally came from Rice and Wheat, and it ended up like this:

Marinate chicken pieces (I used a bunch of drumsticks, but they said they just cut up a whole chicken) overnight in:
– Red pepper flakes (they said chili, but I still don’t have any)
– Garlic
– Shallot
– Paprika
– Cloves (they said 5-spice, but I didn’t have that, and I think cloves are one of the five spices?)
– Salt
– Pepper

Make the sauce:
– Heat a bunch of coconut oil in a pan (Ok – they actually say vegetable oil, but I really don’t understand this [aside from maybe that’s what’s traditionally used, I guess] because it calls for coconut milk later so you know that’s one of the flavors, so why not use coconut oil?)
– Add in:
— 1c minced shallot (or really mine was a mix of shallot and red onion because I ran out)
— 1/2c minced garlic
– Let those soften, then add:
— 1/4c paprika (although the recipe calls for half a cup!!)
— 1/2 cup coconut flakes – oops! I totally didn’t do this and am just now realizing. And I even had some! Oh well. It was fine without, but I think it would be good with
– Add in:
— 1c chicken stock (or bone broth)
— 1/2c coconut milk (or, you know, coconut cream)
— Bay leaves (I forgot these until a little later, but definitely add them at this point. I think I’m finally starting to understand what they contribute, and at least in this dish it’s a great addition
— 2tbsp almond butter (ok, really they call for peanut butter, which you probably could have guessed, and the almond butter adds a different, nuttier flavor for sure, but I think it worked well)

– Brown the chicken on all sides in more oil in a pan
– Put the sauce and the chicken in a baking dish – I used a bread pan for this, which I would recommend if you’re not making too much because it’s a great size! And then the sauce doesn’t spread out too much
– Bake at 400*f for ~30 minutes

– Serve it over whatever you want – we did vegetables