Both Valencia and Andalusia in Spain claim to be the birthplace of arroz con pollo. Some culinary anthropologists, on the other hand, see similarities to the West African dish call Joffa Rice, and so it may derive from the Woffa peoples of Senegal and Gambia.
This recipe calls for skinless chicken but still on the bones that add so much flavor to the stock. You can make it with skinless boneless chicken, if you wish. You don't have to pay a premium for skinless chicken if you follow the tips on skinning chicken in Save Money by Buying Whole Chicken.
Arroz con Pollo - Saffron Rice with Chicken
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cut-up skinless chicken (8 pieces)
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 ounces Spanish chorizo or other dry-cured sausage or ham
- 2 onions, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 rib celery, thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1¾ cups canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ½ cup Sherry
- 2 cups chicken broth
- juice of one lemon or lime or Valencia orange
- 5 saffron threads (optional, but then you wouldn't be able to call it “saffron rice”)
- 1½ cups uncooked rice
- 1 cup frozen sweet peas
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, for garnish
Method:
- Salt and pepper the chicken pieces. Add olive oil to a large deep pan over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on all sides and remove to a plate.
- Reduce the flame to medium-low and add the sausage (or ham), onions and garlic, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add the rest of the aromatic vegetables, the oregano, cumin and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers start to soften, 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and the other liquids and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
- Add the rice and an even layer of the chicken. Simmer, loosely covered, until the chicken and rice are just done, 20-25 minutes. (Alternatively, you can do this final cooking in a 350 degree oven.
- Remove the chicken pieces to a clean plate. (Do not re-use the plate on which you put the partially cooked chicken for anything until it is thoroughly washed.)
- Add the peas and fluff the rice with a fork. Divide the rice between your serving plates. Top with chicken pieces and sprinkle with parsley or cilantro.
Variations: Virtually every Spanish-speaking country has its own variation of arroz con pollo. In Puerto Rico it is the national dish, topped with beans. Cuba replaces some or all of the wine in the cooking liquid with a hoppy, bitter beer. While saffron colors the rice yellow in most traditional recipes, in Peru the rice is green, being colored by a local green vegetable.
If you like chicken check out these recipes, including:
- Chicken a l'Orange, Mediterranean-Style
- Coq au Vin
- Buffalo Wing Slaw
- Chicken with a Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce
- African Chicken-Peanut Soup
Larry Ervin - Foodie, self-taught cook and cookbook addict, I never met a recipe I didn't want to twist, simplify, add or switch out ingredients.
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