arroz con pollo
It was always a special treat to eat this dish growing up as a kid and when I got older and moved to the East coast I was able to enjoy it being cooked from my Abuela. Every Puerto Rican household makes Arroz con Pollo in their own way but my extended family have always flocked to my Abuela's house to eat her version for over 40 years now. While the process in my recipe is different the end result is very close to that of my grandmother's.
Makes 4-5 servings
5-6 chicken legs or bone in thighs (bone in chicken breast can also be used)
1/4 cup of red bell pepper (finely chopped)
1/4 cup of green bell pepper (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro leaves (finely chopped)
1/2 of a small onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of achiote seeds (found in the Spanish or Goya aisle or with the spices)
1/2 cup of Spanish green pitted olives (I like Goya in the Spanish aisle)
2 cups of long grain rice
3 & 3/4 cups of water
Salt & black pepper to taste
Makes 4-5 servings
5-6 chicken legs or bone in thighs (bone in chicken breast can also be used)
1/4 cup of red bell pepper (finely chopped)
1/4 cup of green bell pepper (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro leaves (finely chopped)
1/2 of a small onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of achiote seeds (found in the Spanish or Goya aisle or with the spices)
1/2 cup of Spanish green pitted olives (I like Goya in the Spanish aisle)
2 cups of long grain rice
3 & 3/4 cups of water
Salt & black pepper to taste
Let's start off with finely chopping the red pepper.
And the green bell pepper.
Now the onion.
Smash and finely chop the garlic. And have the green Spanish olives ready.
Make sure the cilantro is clean and remove the stems from the leaves. Then finely chop the cilantro.
Now let's season the chicken legs. Part of what makes arroz con pollo so delicious is the flavor that the rice receives from the bones of the chicken. If you don't like legs or thighs you can use bone in chicken breast. Just ask your butcher to chop the breast into a few pieces therefore making it easier to handle when you cook it. Season the chicken with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
Now heat the rice pot to medium high heat with a tablespoon of canola or olive oil. Pan fry the chicken for 2-3 minutes on both sides. This will lock in the juices of the chicken while at the same time releasing some of the fat which will flavor the dish. Remove the chicken and place it on a platter. Turn the heat down to low.
Here are the achiote seeds. We are going to extract both the flavor and color from the seeds. Make sure the heat for the rice pot is on low. We don't want to burn the seeds. Place the seeds into the chicken fat.
Let the seeds sit for about 2-3 minutes and remove them. The color of the chicken fat at this point will be bright orange.
Turn the heat back up to medium high. Add in the peppers, onion and fresh cilantro. Stir to combine and let it cook down for a few minutes. Now add in the oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. You want to be sure to season the vegetables well at this point because you don't want the rice to turn out bland.
Now add in the garlic and olives and let it cook for another minute. Now add in the rice and stir to combine. You want to make sure the rice is thoroughly coated with the vegetables and achiote.
Now add in the water and let it come up to a boil. We want the rice to absorb the water. This should take about 4-5 minutes. Stir the rice occasionally during this time and taste the water as it boils. Does it need more salt or pepper? If so add it in and continue to stir occasionally as the water is absorbed by the rice.
Most of the water at this point has been absorbed. Now you can add back in the chicken. Turn the heat down to low and cover the rice pot for 20 minutes. Take the lid off and stir the rice and the chicken to ensure that everything is cooking evenly. Cover the rice again for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. (If you are using breast meat the cook time may be shorter)