Spanish Chicken and Brown Rice

This is similar to Paella but without all the different proteins. I love cooking with brown rice but hate the 45-50 minutes it takes to cook. I have found an easy fix for that. In the morning, measure out the rice you need for your recipe into a bowl and cover with water. Let it soak all day and drain off the water just before cooking. This will cut your cooking time in half. It should now take about 20-25 minutes to cook the rice.

Serves 6

1 package of boneless, skinless chicken thighes
5 links of cooked sausage, sliced( I use a chicken sausage or you could use linguesa, or a polish variety)
1 onion diced
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 large red bell pepper diced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup dry white wine or sherry
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1 cup brown rice
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a large skillet with a lid. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and brown in the oil. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the onion, pepper, garlic and sausages. Cook until the veggies have softened, season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
Add the wine and let it evaporate. Pour in the tomato sauce and the stock. Stir in the rice. Add the chicken back to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer, cover and let cook for 55-60 minutes, unless you have soaked the rice ahead of time, see above. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the peas. Cover and let the dish finish it's cooking time. Turn off the heat and let is sit covered for 10 minutes before serving.