Arroz Con Pollo

Boston Globe Magazine recently had an article featuring two takes on classic Chicken with Rice recipes. The one that caught my eye and made my mouth water was the Latin-American Style Chicken with Rice, or as we Latinas like to call it Arroz con Pollo. It was so enticing that I knew immediately that I had to make it. I changed a few things in the recipe to make it more budget-friendly and a bit healthier. Most notably I swapped Saffron threads for Sazon Goya packets. Saffron is expensive and hard to find. Sazon Goya is everywhere and it contains saffron and turmeric, two key ingredients for turning the rice that wonderful golden color.


Note: You'll need a Dutch Oven or a pot you can put in the oven. This recipe makes a good 6-7 servings. You'll have plenty of leftovers.

Ingredients:

7 Skinless, Bone-In Chicken Thighs
Sazon Goya packet
salt and pepper
fresh lime juice

1 medium onion chopped
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 cubannelle pepper chopped
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
4 garlic cloves minced

Sazon Goya packet
1-1/2 cups of chicken broth
(or to save money, 1-1/2 cups of hot water and
3/4 of a packet of Goya Chicken Bouillion)
1 14 0z. can of Diced Tomatoes with juice
squeeze of fresh lime juice

3/4 cup of Goya pimento-stuffed olives chopped
2 tablespoons of Goya capers
1-1/2 cups of long-grain white rice (rinsed)

3/4 cup of frozen peas

lots of fresh cilantro

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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Chicken thighs seem the best option for the recipe. The original called for chicken pieces with the skin-on. I thought some dark-meat thighs with a little bit of the fat still on would work just as well and it did.

I'm using two packets of Sazon Goya in this recipe. 1 to season the chicken and 1 to season the pot.

Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and a whole packet of Sazon Goya. Let sit. Right before you use the thighs, spritz them with some lime juice.

Over medium-high heat, heat up some olive oil in your dutch oven. Add the chicken thighs in batches. I recommend starting off with 1 then doing batches of 2-3. Make sure the oil is hot and rippling before you add the chicken, or the meat will not sear properly. Cook each piece of chicken around 4 minutes on each side. Cover with tinfoil as you cook the other batches. Set aside.

Lovely lovely.

Chop your onion, 1/2 red bell pepper and 1/2 cubanelle pepper. You can use green pepper but I just like cubanelle better for its mild flavor.

Drain some of the oil from the Dutch oven, leaving around a tablespoon behind. Then sautee your onions and peppers until they start to get soft. About 4 minutes. Then add garlic and oregano and cook for another minute.

Add chicken broth, lime juice, can of diced tomatoes and the second Sazon Goya packet. Bring pot to a boil.

Nestle in your chicken pieces and cook for 15 minutes.

Latinas love their capers and pimento-stuffed olives. Mmm. Such a delight. These two jars make me so very very happy.
Make sure you rinse the capers and the olives to get a bit of the brine off. Just one quick rinse, don't over do it. Also, rinse your rice!

Add rice, olives and capers to the pot and mix thoroughly. Transfer the dutch oven to the oven and cook at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until rice is cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid. Then add the peas and stir. Serve hot or at room temperature with a generous helping of fresh cilantro leaves. Enjoy!