Arroz con Pollo (Cuban Chicken with Rice): 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

2000s Recipes + Menus

Serves8

Active time:1 hr
Start to finish:2 1/2 hr

ADAPTED FROM CARIDAD YANES NIEBLAS

September 2007

Staff photographer Romulo Yanes knows arroz con pollo—his mother, Caridad Yanes Nieblas, made it often. This version, based on her recipe, creates a very moist rice, infused with intensely flavorful chorizo and a generous amount of beer, which contributes a malty tang. We’ve removed the skin from the chicken to help the garlicky marinade penetrate the meat.

For marinating chicken

3 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
4 chicken breast halves with bone, halved crosswise
4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs

For rice

3 oz Spanish chorizo (cured sausage), skin discarded and sausage cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon annatto oil or olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
1 lb tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 (12-oz) bottle beer (not dark)
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups long-grain white rice (14 oz)
1/4 cup drained rinsed bottled pimiento or roasted red-pepper strips

Marinate chicken:

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 2 teaspoons salt, then transfer to a large bowl. Stir in vinegar and oregano.
Remove skin and excess fat from chicken, then toss chicken with marinade until coated and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 1 hour.

Cook chicken and rice:

Cook chorizo in annatto oil in a 6- to 7-quart heavy pot (12 inches wide) over medium-high heat, stirring, until some fat is rendered, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onions, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add cumin, oregano, paprika, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and bay leaves and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Add chicken with marinade to chorizo mixture and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beer, broth, and rice and bring to a boil, making sure rice is submerged.
Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover mixture directly with a round of parchment or wax paper and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Cook, stirring once or twice, until rice is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Discard parchment paper and bay leaves, then scatter pimiento strips over rice.

Cooks’ note: Chicken can be marinated up to 2 hours.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes