Arroz con Pollo

The chicken browned and lifted out, and the rice fried in what it left behind on the base of the pan.

Chicken. Not vegetarian — contains chicken, chicken stock.

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg chicken thighs and drumsticks, on the bone
• 350 g long-grain rice
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 400 g tomatoes
• 1 onion, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic
• 700 ml chicken stock, hot
• 150 g peas
• 2 carrots, in small dice
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• a handful of coriander, chopped

Method

1. THE CHICKEN IS BROWNED AND LIFTED OUT, AND THE RICE IS FRIED IN WHAT IT LEFT BEHIND. That order is the dish. The chicken goes in skin side down in a hot wide pan and is left until the skin is properly browned and the base of the pan is coated in stuck-on chicken fat and fond; it then comes out, and the rinsed rice goes into that pan and is fried in it for five minutes, scraping everything off the base and into the grains. By the time any liquid arrives, every grain is coated in chicken fat. Browned alongside the rice, or added raw at the end, the rice tastes of stock and the dish is much flatter.
2. THE RICE IS RINSED UNTIL THE WATER RUNS CLEAR AND THEN DRAINED DRY. Loose surface starch is what makes rice claggy, and in a dish where the grains must stay separate it all has to go. Then drained properly -- wet rice in hot fat spits and steams instead of frying.
3. THE LIQUID GOES IN HOT AND IS MEASURED ONCE. Seven hundred millilitres to three hundred and fifty grams, which is two to one by volume. Cold stock drops the pan temperature and the grains absorb unevenly; and liquid added in stages, risotto-fashion, abrades the grains and turns the dish creamy, which is the opposite of what is wanted.
4. IT IS NOT STIRRED ONCE THE LIQUID IS IN. Lid on, lowest heat, eighteen minutes, and the spoon stays out. Every stir releases starch and knocks the grains about. The chicken is laid on TOP of the rice, not buried in it, so it steams there.
5. IT RESTS OFF THE HEAT WITH THE LID ON FOR TEN MINUTES. That is when the last of the liquid is taken up and the grains firm. Served straight from the heat it is noticeably wet at the bottom and the grains at the top are still firm; ten minutes covered evens it out.
6. The rice rinsed in several changes of water until it runs CLEAR, then drained thoroughly.
7. The chicken patted dry and seasoned. The oil heated in a wide heavy pan over a high heat.
8. The chicken browned SKIN SIDE DOWN 6 to 7 MINUTES, then turned for 3, until well coloured. LIFTED OUT.
9. The tomatoes, onion and garlic blended smooth and STRAINED.
10. The drained rice tipped into the same pan and fried 5 MINUTES, stirred, the BASE SCRAPED to lift the fond into the grains.
11. The strained tomato poured in and cooked 3 minutes until it darkens and the rice takes it up.
12. The carrots, bay and salt added, then the HOT stock poured in all at once -- all 700 ml, measured.
13. The chicken laid ON TOP of the rice, not buried.
14. Brought to a simmer, covered, and cooked on the LOWEST heat 18 MINUTES. NOT STIRRED.
15. The peas scattered on top and the lid replaced for 2 MINUTES.
16. THE PAN TAKEN OFF THE HEAT and left COVERED 10 MINUTES.
17. The bay removed, the coriander scattered over, and served from the pan.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Mexico · All recipes