Arroz con Pollo

This would be very simple to make for 2 or for 20. It is by no means traditional; I loosely based it off a recipe in an authentic Mexican cookbook.

This will feed 6 people or 4 absolutely starved people. Plan on 4 with the bonus of lunch the next day if they aren't famished. It takes about an hour, start to finish, most of which is time away from the stove. This could have been reduced to 40 minutes at the very most, but I dawdled.

This recipe calls for a whole chicken, cut up. You can cut up your own chicken, which is a handy skill that saves money, but do make sure you have a good knife and shears. Our grocer sells chickens already cut with the giblets and backbone for a reasonable price. On a weeknight, it is more than worth it.

Save the backbone, neck, wing tips (which you may need to cut off), and any bones after you eat the chicken for broth. Saute and dice up the heart and liver, and give it to your favorite kitty. (Brady cries when he smells chicken giblets cooking.)


You will need:

One 2.5 - 3.5 pound chicken, cut up, bone in, skin on.
1 large onion, diced
1 large green pepper, diced (you can add colored peppers, too, for more color...)
1 can/jar pimento peppers, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 (12 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, no salt added, or 6 Roma tomatoes, diced and seeded
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine (2 buck chuck chardonnay is just fine)
about 3/4 teaspoon (a generous pinch) of saffron needles
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chipolte (smoky... if you don't have any, use Spanish smoked paprika. Then get some.)
salt
pepper
1/4 cup EVOO
2 cups long grain, white rice. Do not use instant cook.


Heat 1 cup of chicken stock in microwave or pot until warm to hot. It does not need to be boiling. Add saffron to stock and let soak.

Salt and Pepper chicken.
In a heavy skillet, heat EVOO over medium-high heat.
Carefully place chicken in oil. Do not crowd the pan. I did mine in 2 batches, and I have a very large (9 qt) dutch oven. Let chicken cook, undisturbed, for 2-3 minutes on each side. You want a nice gold color.

Remove chicken to a plate and drain off all but 2 TBS of oil. Place onions, green peppers, pimentos, and garlic into pot. Saute until onions are transparent. Lower heat if they start to smoke or char.

Add all ingredients EXCEPT chicken and rice to the pot. Use about 3 generous pinches of salt. Stir well, to incorporate all spices, and then add chicken. Mostly cover and bring to a boil.

Here is where you can stretch out the time or shorten it. Once the broth is boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Let cook for, at the very least, 15 minutes. I let mine go for about 30.

Add rice to pot, making sure that it is submerged. It may be easier if you remove some large pieces of chicken temporarily. Cover and cook on medium-low for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, check rice for doneness and seasoning. Add salt and pepper as necessary. I let mine cook for 25 minutes, to get rid of some more liquid.


I served this with peas, and mixed in, they were quite good. Dan prefers them separate. It is up to you!

The seasoning is mild. If you over season, you will not taste the saffron. As is, the spices all shine, but do not compete.