Arroz Con Pollo ( Spanish Chicken Stew )

I heard about Arroz con Pollo a lot , although i wasn’t really sure what exactly it was . I knew it had something to do with Pollo = chicken . Later on while i was browsing Ted Allen’s cooking book , i saw the recipe for it . Granted Ted Allen isn’t Spanish , but hey it kinda gave me idea what this dish would look like . It immediately reminds me of Paella , another Spanish dish , except it was about seafood .

Anyway , back to Arroz con Pollo ,  i ended up trying this dish . I happened to have a whole chicken in my fridge , i cut them into 8 or 10 i don’t quite remember . Then getting the rest of the ingredients ready . Wasn’t really that hard to make , except , the tricky part was the rice , since too much water can result in a mushy rice , while not enough water can result in uncooked hard rice . This dish is definetly best to be eaten the same day , straight after it’s done cooking . I tried storing the leftovers for the next day , but the rice turned out to be way too mushy .

So anyway here is the ingredients for Arroz con Pollo :

1 whole organic free range chicken, about 4 lbs is perfect for us , too big , you’ll be having problems finding the pan that will fit all the chicken in . Rinse the chicken , then pat dry with paper towel and cut the chicken into 8 or 10 pieces . Grab a big ziplock bag , add the chicken pieces in and then mix this dry rub .

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix them together , and add into the ziplock bag along with the chicken and shake it and rub it all over the chicken . Set aside , you can always do this the night before , and store them in the fridge , or if you short on time , just do it right before you cook the stew .

Now prepare the rest :

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 – 2 serrano peppers , chopped , depending how hot / spicy  you like your dish , or skip it

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice

5 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1. In a large pan about 12 inches high on the side , add vegetable oil and brown chicken on all side , high heat . About 6 minutes total for both side . Don’t crowd the pan , remove the chicken once it’s golden brown on each side .

2. Using the same pan , add onion , bell peppers and serrano if using , saute for about 4 minutes,  then add garlic , cook another minute , add salt , and add rice in . Cook for about 2 minutes , keep stirring  , don’t want burnt rice . Then add chicken broth mixture with tomato sauce . If you happen to have saffron on hand , u can add it in the beginning , just a pinch goes a long way .

3. Add the chicken in , and bring to boil , them simmer it down , cover with the lid . You have to check after a while because the rice will soak up all the juice , you might need to add more broth / water . And i said this is tricky , because you want the rice to get done at the same time with the chicken, because if you cook it too long it will get too mushy .

4. Simmer , for about 30 minutes . Check often !