Arroz Con Pollo
This dish is from the Food Network (Throwdown with Bobby Flay- his competitor, La Fonda Boricua). It is one of the best dishes I have ever made.
This dish is from the Food Network (Throwdown with Bobby Flay- his competitor, La Fonda Boricua). It is one of the best dishes I have ever made.
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup green pepper chopped
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 cup white onion chopped
- 1 half red pepper chopped
- 4 chicken quarter legs and thighs
- 1/4 cup green pimiento stuffed spanish olives
- 4 cups long grain white rice
- 12 ounces beer
- 2 tablespoons adobo dry spice rub
- Carbohydrate 50.5942116531663 g
- Cholesterol 10.8000000091298 mg
- Fat 6.42708141213633 g
- Fiber 1.49235314195631 g
- Protein 13.1176614053266 g
- Saturated Fat 1.50866206380705 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (565g)
- Sodium 527.323096824001 mg
- Sugar 49.10185851121 g
- Trans Fat 0.420423250336561 g
- Calories 329 calories
Step-by-step
- If you don't have any Adobo Dry Spice Rub, you can mix your own: it usually includes cumin, oregano, granulated onion, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
- Marinate the chicken in a mixture of olive oil and the adobo dry rub mixture. (For best results, let the chicken marinate for a few hours to a day before cooking.)
- Chop up the ingredients for your sofrito (onion, green and red pepper, garlic cloves, cilantro) in a small bowl.
- Preheat a medium-sized casserole pot with the olive oil. Brown the chicken until seared and caramelized and golden brown (about five minutes over medium heat).
- Next add the sofrito and saute for another ten minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, Spanish olives, black pepper and bay leaves. Stir and cook for 20 minutes (covered), until chicken is fully cooked.
- Stir in rice thoroughly, then add the chicken stock and beer and bring to a boil at medium high-heat until most of the water has evaporated.
- Finally stir rice and chicken and reduce heat to a simmer. Let cook for another 20 minutes (covered)or until rice is softened.
A single four-quart casserole pot will inevitably overflow when forced to hold four cups of long-grain white rice alongside six cups of stock, twelve ounces of beer, and four hefty chicken quarter legs. Standard heavy-bottomed cast iron or enameled Dutch ovens measuring at least seven quarts prevent messy stovetop spills during the boiling phase while providing the thermal mass required to brown poultry properly. When searing the chicken quarter legs, maintain medium heat for exactly five minutes per side until the skin develops a deep golden-brown crust, ensuring the rendered fat properly initializes the cooking of the onion, green pepper, and garlic sofrito.
Managing Liquid Ratios and Starch Release
Long-grain white rice requires precise liquid absorption to avoid becoming gummy or undercooked, making the combination of chicken stock and beer a delicate equation that demands steady heat regulation during the simmer phase. Alcohol contributes acidity that cuts through the rich adobo dry spice rub, breaking down complex proteins while the starches from the rice absorb the seasoned liquid over twenty minutes of covered simmering. Stirring the rice thoroughly after adding the liquids ensures uniform starch distribution, preventing dry patches from forming at the edges of the pot.
- Use a seven-quart or larger heavy-bottomed Dutch oven to accommodate the expansion of four cups of rice and heavy chicken cuts.
- Sear chicken for five minutes over medium heat to achieve proper caramelization without burning the spices.
- Substitute homemade adobo using a one-to-one ratio of cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper if commercial blends are unavailable.
- Monitor the simmer closely at the twenty-minute mark to ensure the rice kernels are tender throughout without scorching the bottom layer.
