boar_d_laze
Senior Cook
- Joined
- May 14, 2007
- Messages
- 334
First, sorry but no pix. When I do leftovers, maybe I'll take some snaps and add them to the thread. Maybe.
I've never been really happy with my arroz con pollo. I've had problems getting the right texture on the rice; getting the chicken cooked but not overcooked; and getting a good flavor balance with echoes of Spain, the Caribbean and Mexico. Last night, I nailed it!
10 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
3 cups medium grain California rice (Hinode or Cal-Rose)*
Extra virgin olive oil
Corn oil
(Optional: Spanish, not Mexican, style chorizo; or, Linquica; or, pepperoni, cut in small pieces)
1 medium brown onion, chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cans chicken stock
1/2 can El Pato Salsa de Tomatillo Fresca, or 3 - 4 tbs of Pico Pica sauce.
1/4 cup dry vermouth, or dry white wine
1/2 - 1 cup frozen green peas
Sliced pimentos (to taste)
Salad cut green olives (to taste)
Saffron
(Optional: Annatto***)
Bay leaf
Salt
Pepper
Sweet paprika
Smoked Paprika
Wash and dry the chicken. Season the skin side with salt, pepper, and a good quality sweet paprika.
Open a can of broth, and pour about half of it into a small glass bowl. Separate the saffron strands and add them to the stock. Put it in the microwave and warm it -- 60 seconds on high. Set aside and allow the saffron to bloom.
In a 1 cup measuring cup mix 1/2 can of the salsa fresca with two ounces of Vermouth, pinch of ground annatto or 1/2 tsp of annatto oil (if using), and 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika. Mix and set aside.
Heat a heavy 12" saute pan a k a "chicken fryer" (straight sided skillet). Mix the extra virgin olive oil with corn oil, 50/50 so that there's about 3/8" of oil in the pan. Allow the oil time to come to temp (medium-high), then (add the optional sausage; when the sausage when has flavored the oil and is well browned remove and set aside, about five minutes; then) add 5 of the thighs, skin side down. Cook them until they are well browned, around 7 minutes. Turn, and cook the bone side until browned, around 5 minutes. Set aside on a plate and do the remaining thighs in the same way. It's important to brown in two batches because if you overcrowd the pan, the thighs will not brown properly. Timing this step correctly is critical to getting the chicken fully but not over cooked. Don't short it. The chicken will get some, but not lots of cooking later.
During the browning the fat from the chicken skin will render into the oil, increasing the amount. Pour off about half so that you’re left with about 1/4" of oil/fat left in the pan. Add the onions and peppers. Sauté over high heat until the peppers begin to soften. Add the garlic, and toss (or stir).
Add the rice and stir to coat with oil. Raise heat to high. Stir, toss or turn the rice, until it starts to become opaque. Do not allow rice to burn or stick to the pan. About five minutes.
Still over high heat -- Add the hot sauce/wine mixture and enough of the saffron/stock mixture to cover the rice completely. You may need to add some of the unmixed canned stock, too. Bring to a full boil and gently shake the pan to evenly distribute the rice. Tuck a bay leaf or two into the rice.
Add half of the remaining stock, and return to the boil.
Add the rest of the stock, and return to the boil. Reduce heat to a bare simmer. Put the thighs on top of the rice. Cover. Reduce heat just a skosh more (It will simmer over a lower flame when covered than not covered.)
Simmer for 16 minutes exactly. (In other words, use a damn timer. Don't trust yourself to look at your watch!) Turn flame off, but leave covered for five minutes. Open cover, add the peas, and close cover for seven minutes.
Open cover, remove chicken and set aside. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Toss the rice with a fork to fluff. Final texture should be slightly sticky. Add the about 2 tbs of sliced pimentos, about the same amount of salad olives (sliced green olives with pimentos), and some chopped parsley. Toss to mix these additions into the rice.
Arroz con pollo may be plated or served directly from the pan. If plating, mound rice onto the plate sprinkle a little more parsley on it, and arrange the chicken so it's mostly on the rice, but a little on the plate. If serving from the pan, sprinkle a little parsley on the rice, and arrange the chicken so that some is pushed into the rice, and some lays flat on top.
Perhaps the best of all starters would be an avocado and onion salad, simply dressed with oil and vinegar. Undoubtedly, the best sides are fried plantains and (of all things) toasted French bread. A fresh, dry white wine such like a pinot grigio would go well. So would a good beer along the lines of an IPA, or even a very light lager such as MGD or Pacifico. A Hefeweizen with a squeeze would be damn near perfect, as would a mojito if the rum quotient was on the low side.
This is a first draft of a recipe that finally got perfected. What do you think? Too complicated?
Rich
*A very tricky rice for these purposes. A long grain basmati type would be safer. Just make sure you check the rice package for the recommended ratio of liquid to rice before you start measuring and adding and whatnot. Also be aware that as quantities increase the proportional amount of liquid decreases. You do not want to go above the recommended ratio. Slightly below is perfect.
**Commonly available in urban California supermarkets. I don't know what availability is like anywhere else. If you can't find El Pato (Mexican, or imported foods, or tomato sauce section) or Pico Pica (hot sauce section), you could use a tbs of tomato paste and some hot sauce. If you use paste, add it directly to the rice before adding any liquid and stir the rice so the "raw" has a chance to cook off the paste.
***A k a achiote. If you have to ask ...
R.
I've never been really happy with my arroz con pollo. I've had problems getting the right texture on the rice; getting the chicken cooked but not overcooked; and getting a good flavor balance with echoes of Spain, the Caribbean and Mexico. Last night, I nailed it!
10 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
3 cups medium grain California rice (Hinode or Cal-Rose)*
Extra virgin olive oil
Corn oil
(Optional: Spanish, not Mexican, style chorizo; or, Linquica; or, pepperoni, cut in small pieces)
1 medium brown onion, chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cans chicken stock
1/2 can El Pato Salsa de Tomatillo Fresca, or 3 - 4 tbs of Pico Pica sauce.
1/4 cup dry vermouth, or dry white wine
1/2 - 1 cup frozen green peas
Sliced pimentos (to taste)
Salad cut green olives (to taste)
Saffron
(Optional: Annatto***)
Bay leaf
Salt
Pepper
Sweet paprika
Smoked Paprika
Wash and dry the chicken. Season the skin side with salt, pepper, and a good quality sweet paprika.
Open a can of broth, and pour about half of it into a small glass bowl. Separate the saffron strands and add them to the stock. Put it in the microwave and warm it -- 60 seconds on high. Set aside and allow the saffron to bloom.
In a 1 cup measuring cup mix 1/2 can of the salsa fresca with two ounces of Vermouth, pinch of ground annatto or 1/2 tsp of annatto oil (if using), and 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika. Mix and set aside.
Heat a heavy 12" saute pan a k a "chicken fryer" (straight sided skillet). Mix the extra virgin olive oil with corn oil, 50/50 so that there's about 3/8" of oil in the pan. Allow the oil time to come to temp (medium-high), then (add the optional sausage; when the sausage when has flavored the oil and is well browned remove and set aside, about five minutes; then) add 5 of the thighs, skin side down. Cook them until they are well browned, around 7 minutes. Turn, and cook the bone side until browned, around 5 minutes. Set aside on a plate and do the remaining thighs in the same way. It's important to brown in two batches because if you overcrowd the pan, the thighs will not brown properly. Timing this step correctly is critical to getting the chicken fully but not over cooked. Don't short it. The chicken will get some, but not lots of cooking later.
During the browning the fat from the chicken skin will render into the oil, increasing the amount. Pour off about half so that you’re left with about 1/4" of oil/fat left in the pan. Add the onions and peppers. Sauté over high heat until the peppers begin to soften. Add the garlic, and toss (or stir).
Add the rice and stir to coat with oil. Raise heat to high. Stir, toss or turn the rice, until it starts to become opaque. Do not allow rice to burn or stick to the pan. About five minutes.
Still over high heat -- Add the hot sauce/wine mixture and enough of the saffron/stock mixture to cover the rice completely. You may need to add some of the unmixed canned stock, too. Bring to a full boil and gently shake the pan to evenly distribute the rice. Tuck a bay leaf or two into the rice.
Add half of the remaining stock, and return to the boil.
Add the rest of the stock, and return to the boil. Reduce heat to a bare simmer. Put the thighs on top of the rice. Cover. Reduce heat just a skosh more (It will simmer over a lower flame when covered than not covered.)
Simmer for 16 minutes exactly. (In other words, use a damn timer. Don't trust yourself to look at your watch!) Turn flame off, but leave covered for five minutes. Open cover, add the peas, and close cover for seven minutes.
Open cover, remove chicken and set aside. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Toss the rice with a fork to fluff. Final texture should be slightly sticky. Add the about 2 tbs of sliced pimentos, about the same amount of salad olives (sliced green olives with pimentos), and some chopped parsley. Toss to mix these additions into the rice.
Arroz con pollo may be plated or served directly from the pan. If plating, mound rice onto the plate sprinkle a little more parsley on it, and arrange the chicken so it's mostly on the rice, but a little on the plate. If serving from the pan, sprinkle a little parsley on the rice, and arrange the chicken so that some is pushed into the rice, and some lays flat on top.
Perhaps the best of all starters would be an avocado and onion salad, simply dressed with oil and vinegar. Undoubtedly, the best sides are fried plantains and (of all things) toasted French bread. A fresh, dry white wine such like a pinot grigio would go well. So would a good beer along the lines of an IPA, or even a very light lager such as MGD or Pacifico. A Hefeweizen with a squeeze would be damn near perfect, as would a mojito if the rum quotient was on the low side.
This is a first draft of a recipe that finally got perfected. What do you think? Too complicated?
Rich
*A very tricky rice for these purposes. A long grain basmati type would be safer. Just make sure you check the rice package for the recommended ratio of liquid to rice before you start measuring and adding and whatnot. Also be aware that as quantities increase the proportional amount of liquid decreases. You do not want to go above the recommended ratio. Slightly below is perfect.
**Commonly available in urban California supermarkets. I don't know what availability is like anywhere else. If you can't find El Pato (Mexican, or imported foods, or tomato sauce section) or Pico Pica (hot sauce section), you could use a tbs of tomato paste and some hot sauce. If you use paste, add it directly to the rice before adding any liquid and stir the rice so the "raw" has a chance to cook off the paste.
***A k a achiote. If you have to ask ...
R.
