When you Google Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice) you will find hundreds of recipes under the many versions we have of this dish in Latin America, so many variations, great!
I believe this dish came to our countries from the Spaniards, a reflection of their paella but without their pan or their saffron.
An all-time favorite dish when my children were growing up they even wanted it when in college. Easy, filing and pretty to look at.
Ingredients
For 6-8 people
- 3 whole chicken bone-in breasts, previously marinated with pepper and salt.
- 2 yellow onions in chunks
1/4 cup olive oil or more - 3 cups of Uncle Ben's rice
- 6 cups strained chicken stock
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 red bell pepper, cubed
- 4 small carrots or 2 medium ones, cubed
- 1 pound green beans, cubed
- 1 pound peas
- 2 cans tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 cup tomato catchup
- 2 limes cut in wedges
- 4 cilantro fresh leaves
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil at medium heat in a large pan, add the onion chunks and stir.
- Place the marinated chicken breasts skin side down and lower temperature. Cook slightly covered, until skin has browned a bit, stirring the onions underneath now and then to prevent burning. About 5 minutes.
- Turn the breasts to the other side and cook slightly covered again until it looses its pinkish color underneath, about 5 minutes.
- Add 5 cups of warm water to the pan and scrape the bottom, raise the temperature and when it boils, lower the temperature and let it simmer until the breasts are cooked. About 15 minutes.
- Test if the chicken is cooked with a meat thermometer until it has reached 165 degrees F.
- Remove chicken breasts and place them in a colander, to cool down, over a bowl to catch the juices.
- Strain the remaining stock in the pan into a 2 liter measuring cup, add the tomato puree, add enough warm water to reach 6 cups (2 cups of liquid per cup of rice).
- In a medium pot at medium heat add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and add the 3 cups of rice, stir and add the 3 teaspoons of salt. Add the saved stock and bring it to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer covered until the rice is done.
- Cover and lower the temperature to the minimum low and let it finish its cooking until it's done. About 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile in the same pan used to cook the chicken breasts, add a a teaspoon olive oil, a crushed garlic clove, stir and add the cubed red pepper plus a pinch of salt. Cook until desired tenderness. Set aside.
- Repeat the same procedure with the remaining vegetables and combine them altogether in a big bowl.
- Shred the chicken breasts when they have cooled down, leave only the meat, discard the bones and skin and place them on top of the rice while the rices finishes cooking.
When the rice is done, transfer it to a large bowl and add the cooked vegetables, the paprika, the ketchup and a little more olive oil.
Stir all the ingredients with a large spatula.
Taste to check flavor, serve in a dish and decorate with lemon wedges and cilantro and there you have it, Rice and Chicken.