el 15 de marzo
There’s a saying in Spanish that a delicious food is “para chuparse los dedos” - basically their equivalent for “finger-lickin’ good” (literally to suck one’s fingers). I can’t wait until I get my computer completely restored from it’s crash so I can upload the pictures of Diego chewing on his THIRD chicken thigh bone, trying to suck every last morsel off it! Today, I made a dummied down Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken). As I’ve said, I HATE to measure anything, so I’ve never attempted this dish before. I had some thawed chicken thighs that I had planned to use for Pollo a la Naranja (Orange Chicken) - a recipe I will FOR SURE share at a later date. But today I was in the mood for a more savory/salty meal. Every Spanish-speaking country/region/ family has their own version of arroz con pollo, so I figured I could find something with the ingredients I had. I googled arroz con pollo and I found a few recipes I could work with. It wasn’t perfect: I forgot to add extra spices & salt to the rice, so it was a little bland at first. Here are my inspiration recipe and here is what I came up with for next time. This recipe needs about 1-2 hrs prep/cooking time. I am guessing that the leftovers will be even better! While my 8-year old LOVED the less salty version (seriously, check back for the pictures!), this recipe promises to be “para chuparse los dedos”!
Cuban Arroz con Pollo - I was not in the mood for the tomato spin that most recipes call for, but I LOVED the idea of a wine/beer marinade - way better than water or chicken broth. I just happened to have ½ a bottle of Pinot Grigio & a leftover Coors Light (I only drink dark beer) in the fridge.
Peruvian Arroz con Pollo is made with cilantro & is one of my favorites (when made by my amiga, Jennifer!) - one of these days, I’ll get her recipe.
Every recipe I read said to “pat the chicken dry”, I didn’t do this, but I wish I had. I wanted the chicken a little crispier. I love bacon, so I fried up a few chopped up pieces of bacon for the fat. I removed the bacon pieces (I saved the bacon for tomorrow’s dinner - loaded baked potatoes!) & then laid each piece of chicken in bacon fat, skin down, to brown. When each piece is browned enough for your liking, turn over. (About 5-10 minutes.) While chicken is browning, cut up the onion, garlic & peppers. Remove the chicken and set aside. Sauté the veggies until tender. Add the chicken again & add the liquid. Cover, bring to a boil, add about 2 Tb. of salt (if you are using beer / wine or water & not salted chicken broth) & let the chicken simmer for 10-25 minutes so the flavors mingle. About 30-35 minutes before you want to serve your meal, mix in the rice carefully so all the rice gets covered in the liquid. Bring it back to a boil, covered & simmer on low for about 25 minutes. Add more liquid (too al dente) or let liquid evaporate (too soupy) if the rice to liquid ratio is off. I added 2 Tb. of green olives to garnish about 10 minutes before serving. Green peas are a nice garnish too. Serve with a hearty or crusty bread or warmed tortillas & a steamed veggie or salad. Da - dah! Arroz con Pollo made (a bit) easier!
*I always buy my spices at the Mexican grocery stores in Mexican Town (Detroit). La Colmena (The Honey Bee Market) is my favorite place. I only get down there about once every one to two months, but it’s well worth it! The spices are WAY cheaper and SO much fresher than bottled, grocery store spices.
There’s a saying in Spanish that a delicious food is “para chuparse los dedos” - basically their equivalent for “finger-lickin’ good” (literally to suck one’s fingers). I can’t wait until I get my computer completely restored from it’s crash so I can upload the pictures of Diego chewing on his THIRD chicken thigh bone, trying to suck every last morsel off it! Today, I made a dummied down Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken). As I’ve said, I HATE to measure anything, so I’ve never attempted this dish before. I had some thawed chicken thighs that I had planned to use for Pollo a la Naranja (Orange Chicken) - a recipe I will FOR SURE share at a later date. But today I was in the mood for a more savory/salty meal. Every Spanish-speaking country/region/ family has their own version of arroz con pollo, so I figured I could find something with the ingredients I had. I googled arroz con pollo and I found a few recipes I could work with. It wasn’t perfect: I forgot to add extra spices & salt to the rice, so it was a little bland at first. Here are my inspiration recipe and here is what I came up with for next time. This recipe needs about 1-2 hrs prep/cooking time. I am guessing that the leftovers will be even better! While my 8-year old LOVED the less salty version (seriously, check back for the pictures!), this recipe promises to be “para chuparse los dedos”!
Cuban Arroz con Pollo - I was not in the mood for the tomato spin that most recipes call for, but I LOVED the idea of a wine/beer marinade - way better than water or chicken broth. I just happened to have ½ a bottle of Pinot Grigio & a leftover Coors Light (I only drink dark beer) in the fridge.
Peruvian Arroz con Pollo is made with cilantro & is one of my favorites (when made by my amiga, Jennifer!) - one of these days, I’ll get her recipe.
- Cut-up chicken - use whatever you’d like, but make sure you leave the bone in!
- I used 8 chicken thighs - I think it was about 2 lbs.
- I will use a whole cut-up chicken the next time.
- oil or bacon fat to brown the chicken
- *spices* to taste; salt/pepper
- I used Goya Adobo (my go-to mixed spice)
- I also used some thyme, oregano & bay leaf sprinkled on each piece of chicken
- a little bit of apple cider vinegar/beer with the spices will make for a nice marinade if you have the time
- onion - chopped, sliced or diced
- garlic - a few cloves or a couple TBL
- veggies - sliced or chopped green / red peppers & peas are typical
- 4 cups of liquid: any combination of beer / wine / chicken broth / water
- + 2 Tb. salt unless you use salted chicken broth
- 2 cups of rice
- green or greek olives (if you like)
Every recipe I read said to “pat the chicken dry”, I didn’t do this, but I wish I had. I wanted the chicken a little crispier. I love bacon, so I fried up a few chopped up pieces of bacon for the fat. I removed the bacon pieces (I saved the bacon for tomorrow’s dinner - loaded baked potatoes!) & then laid each piece of chicken in bacon fat, skin down, to brown. When each piece is browned enough for your liking, turn over. (About 5-10 minutes.) While chicken is browning, cut up the onion, garlic & peppers. Remove the chicken and set aside. Sauté the veggies until tender. Add the chicken again & add the liquid. Cover, bring to a boil, add about 2 Tb. of salt (if you are using beer / wine or water & not salted chicken broth) & let the chicken simmer for 10-25 minutes so the flavors mingle. About 30-35 minutes before you want to serve your meal, mix in the rice carefully so all the rice gets covered in the liquid. Bring it back to a boil, covered & simmer on low for about 25 minutes. Add more liquid (too al dente) or let liquid evaporate (too soupy) if the rice to liquid ratio is off. I added 2 Tb. of green olives to garnish about 10 minutes before serving. Green peas are a nice garnish too. Serve with a hearty or crusty bread or warmed tortillas & a steamed veggie or salad. Da - dah! Arroz con Pollo made (a bit) easier!
*I always buy my spices at the Mexican grocery stores in Mexican Town (Detroit). La Colmena (The Honey Bee Market) is my favorite place. I only get down there about once every one to two months, but it’s well worth it! The spices are WAY cheaper and SO much fresher than bottled, grocery store spices.
