Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)
What I love about this recipe is that it is a filling one-pot meal. I used a Dutch oven to build my flavors and to render the fat from the chicken thighs. This is a staple in Latin American kitchens as it combines inexpensive ingredients like chicken thighs, rice, and spices. Terms like sofrito don’t have to be daunting when you have your food processor attachment that takes onions, cilantro, chiles, garlic and cumin to a flavorful base for this recipe. While my team loved a medium-grain rice vs. long, you determine what your favorite is.
Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)
2017-09-19 07:48:34
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 Cubanelle pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (about the juice of 2 lemons), plus additional lemon wedges for service
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 6 bone in chicken thighs trimmed or 6 leg-thigh cuts, trimmmed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cups medium grain rice, rinsed
- 1 tablespoons Sazon
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and adjust your rack to the middle position.
- In your food processor, process the cilantro, 1/2 cup onion, chile, garlic and the cumin until it is finely chopped, this will take about 20 seconds, scrape the bowl and needed. Transfer this sofrito to a bowl.
- In your processor add the mayonnaise, 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the sofrito mixture and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer this sauce to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready for service.
- With paper towels, pat the chicken dry and then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Heat the Dutch oven over a medium heat and add the oil, allow the oil to heat until it starts to shimmer. Then add the chicken with the skin side down and cook with out moving the chicken until the skin has turned a crisp and golden color, this will take about 9 minutes. Then flip the chicken and allow it to continue to cook until the second side has reached the same golden color. Transfer the chicken to a plate and discard the skin.
- Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from your Dutch oven and return it to a medium heat and allow the heat to shimmer again. Add the last 1/2 cup onion and cook until it has just softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and Sazon and cook until the edges of the rice just start to turn translucent, 2 minutes.
- Stir in the broth, capers, olives, bay leaves, remaining sofrito, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, scrape any browned bits. Add the skinned chicken into the pot along with any juices and bring the pot to a steady simmer. Cover, and move to the oven and allow to bake for 20 minutes.
- Transfer the Dutch oven to a wire rack and allow to stand, covered for at least 15 minutes. Using a fork fluff the rice. Discard the bay leaves. Serve with the herb sauce mixture and lemon wedges.
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine
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