Culinary Disasters

Arroz con pollo is Spanish for rice with chicken.  It is chicken browned and then simmered in a tomato sauce with whatever vegetables you choose to make it with.  There are thousands of different variations so add flavors that you really enjoy.  Besides being flavorful it is also a very simple one pot meal that takes little to no thought process. 

For this dish you are going to need:

• 1 whole chicken cut up into 6-8 pieces (I usually just save the wings for some chicken wings at a later date).
• 1 bell pepper medium dice (I used yellow because it was all I had left)
• 1 onion medium dice
• 2 stalks of celery medium dice
• 3 cloves of garlic finely diced
• 1/2 cup of frozen peas
• 1/2 cup of diced green olives
• 1 cup of long grain white rice
• 1 small can of tomatoes
• 1 cup of beer (I used a blonde ale and would recommend staying away from a darker beer for this dish)
• 1.5 cups of chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tea dried oregano (1 TB fresh if you have it available and p.s. I really really miss springtime when I can have a full herb garden going)
• 1 tea ground cumin
• 8 strands of saffron
• chopped parsley for garnish
• All-purpose flour
• 2 TB of butter
• 2 TB of high temperature oil (I used Extra Light Olive Oil)
• Kosher salt and pepper

Trim the chicken of excess fat, salt and pepper the chicken, and then cover the chicken in all-purpose flour shaking off the excess.

Over medium-high heat and in a large pan with a lid (thank you 6 quart saute pan for always being there) or dutch oven melt the 2 TB of butter with the 2 TB of oil.  Add a couple pieces of chicken at a time and brown all over (about 5 minutes a side).  After each piece is brown all over remove it from the pan and set on a plate to rest.

Once all the chicken is done add in the onion, celery, and pepper with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook till softened (about 6 minutes).

Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add in the rice and stir around constantly for another minute to toast the rice.

Add in the beer, tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, oregano, saffron, and green olives.  Bring to a boil. 

 

Once at a boil add the chicken back into the pan and cover.  Let this mixture cook till the chicken is done (about 25 minutes).

Stir the mixture a couple of times.  The only easy way I have figured out how to do this is to remove the chicken, stir, and then re-add the chicken. 

About 5 minutes before the chicken is done add in the peas.  Once again remove the chicken, stir in the peas, and then re-add the chicken.

Once the chicken is done remove from the pan and set on a plate to rest.  Serve the rice mixture on the bottom topped with a piece of chicken garnished with the chopped parsley.

Tags: Quick, chicken, All //