Spain vs. Puerto Rico
The origins of Arroz con Pollo have been lost to the mists of time. Like Baklava, many cultures have laid claim upon it. There is some debate as to whether it originated in Spain or Puerto Rico. It has since then expanded to other Spanish colonies such as Columbia, Cuba, Mexico, and the Philippines among others. In Spain the distinctive yellow color comes from the addition of saffron and white wine. Since saffron was expensive and not readily available in Puerto Rico during colonial days, they utilized what was available to them. Annatto seeds were often made into annatto oil which gives their version of Arroz con Pollo the distinctive color and taste when combined with beer.
Both cultures use another key ingredient sofrito. Sofrito is of Spanish and Portuguese origin and is simply a combination of garlic, peppers, onions and tomato cooked in olive oil.
In Spain, Arroz con Pollo is more like paella, where white wine and saffron can be used instead of the annatto and beer. The recipe here is very basic and you can decide which version you wish to try first-the Puerto Rican or the Spanish version. I would suggest that you make this dish several times and see which one you prefer. Arroz con Pollo is a delicious dish that is easy and inexpensive to make.
You can use skin-on thighs or boneless-skinless thigh meat, and any cut of chicken as well. I personally think thighs work great in this recipe. With a paper towel, pat the thighs all over to dry. Sprinkle adobo seasoning liberally and rub into the chicken.
In a heavy bottomed dutch oven, heat the oil until just smoking hot. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down.
Cook the chicken over medium to medium high heat. Check every few minutes, looking at the skin side with a pair of tongs to lift the chicken and see how it is cooking. It’s important to note that while this dish is relatively quick, do lower the temperature to medium when cooking the chicken all the way through. This will prevent burning the fond, or base.
Once the skin is crisp and rendered on one side, turn the chicken pieces over and continue cooking about 15-20 minutes.
To make sure my chicken skin is crispy all over, I will sometimes stand them on their sides to render out all the fat. If you wish to use this method, just lower the temperature to medium. Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees with an instant read meat thermometer.
Remove the cooked chicken and arrange it so the chicken skin stays crispy (avoid stacking or overlapping). Keep warm on the back of the range or in an oven at the lowest temperature while the rice cooks.
While the chicken is cooking, rough cut the onion, green and red pepper, and mince five cloves of garlic.
Add the vegetables to the same pot the chicken was cooked in (you have removed the chicken at this point).
Add two packets of Sazon seasoning. You can proceed as-is or try one of the following options: 1. Puerto Rican version-add 1/3 cup beer and pinch of annatto or 2. Spanish version-add 1/3 cup of white wine and a pinch of saffron.
Quarter your favorite green olives and pimento. If the olives you use don’t have pimento, then add a jar of sliced pimento to the pot.
Once the vegetables are cooked, add the rice and stir to mix in. Let the rice cook in the pot for a minute or two to absorb some of the flavors.
Add chicken or ham stock to the pot along with the quartered olives, pimento, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir in and mix well.
Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and place a lid on the pot. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook the rice until done using the instructions on the package of rice you are using. Usually this takes 40-45 minutes.
After the rice has cooked, test with a spoon for doneness. The rice should be completely soft. Stir with a spatula to make sure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom. If there is a small area where the rice is sticking, add a touch of stock or water to loosen and incorporate back into the dish. Some cooks will add fresh green peas and diced ham at this point (optional).
After the rice has cooked, take the chicken that has been previously cooked, and place it on top of the rice. Be sure to add any accumulated juices back into the pot.
The Arroz con Pollo is ready to serve.
Wine Paring: Burgo Viejo Rioja Crianza, 2014, San Gregorio Single Vineyard Las Martas Garnacha, 2014, Villa Cafaggio Chianti Classico, 2013
Traditional Arroz con Pollo
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp adobo seasoning
- 1/2 whole onion, chopped
- 1 whole green pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 whole red pepper, seeded and diced
- 4 clove garlic, minced or sliced
- 2 whole bay leaf (optional)
- 1/2 cup white wine to deglaze
- 1/3 cup green olive, quartered
- 1/4 cup pimento, diced or sliced
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 2 pkts Sazon seasoning
- 1 cup rice
- 2 cup chicken or ham stock
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup ham, diced (optional)
- 1/3 cup link sausage (optional)
- 1/2 cup green peas (optional)
Instructions
- In a heavy dutch oven style pot, add the oil and bring up to temperature just to smoking point.
- Pat down the chicken thighs with a paper towel and season well, all over with the adobo seasoning.
- Add the chicken to the prepared and hot pot. Cook the chicken first with the skin side down over medium to medium-high heat. Cook the chicken thoroughly to render out all of the fat. You can try the technique in the images above to crisp up the sides of the chicken skin. Turn the chicken and cook on both sides. Be sure to turn the chicken more frequently at the end to be sure it is cooked through. The internal temperature should be 155-160 degrees, as read with an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the chicken to a separate container, and add the onion, peppers and garlic. Cook the vegetables until soft and add the wine to deglaze the pan. There maybe a few browned bits (not black) on the bottom of the pan (these are called the fond or base). This is a good thing because it is where the best flavors develop. Deglazing will allow the brown bits to be released from the bottom of the pan and incorporated into the dish.
- With juices just reduced, add the olive, pimento, rice, tomato, tomato paste, and Sazon seasoning to the pan. Next, add the rice. Allow a little time for the rice to soak up all of the juices and cook for a short time. This will also help build another layer of flavor. Once the rice has absorbed the juices, add the chicken stock to the pan. Stir to mix thoroughly and bring up to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the dish begins to boil, reduce the heat to low/medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook the rice until done using the instructions on the package of rice you are using. Usually this takes 40-45 minutes.
- At 30 to 35 minutes, check to see how much liquid is still in the pot. Since every rice is different, add more water if it is needed or let it continue to cook until all the moisture is absorbed.
- Once cooked, fluff up the rice and add the chicken back to the pot along with any accumulated juices. If desired, you can add diced ham, green peas and parsley (optional). Place the lid back on the pot with the temperature on low and heat everything through about 8-10 minutes. The dish is ready to serve or you can keep it on the back burner until you need it later.