Arroz con Pollo

The "No Box/No Restaurant" Challenge is still in effect.  Except I'm sucking at it.  It's harder than I thought.  Especially since, when I threw my back out, my mom brought me a box of Cheez-Its to cheer me up.

Blessed woman.

I am proud to say that I haven't yet eaten those Cheez-Its as a meal, though.

While trying to not eat out unless necessary for social/business purposes, I've been taking advantage of the stockpile of leftovers in my freezer.  Among them was a portion of  Arroz con Pollo leftover from a dinner party.  I was delighted to find I had enough for two meals, and since I live alone, I don't have to share.

Living alone is flipping AWESOME!

Until you find yourself congratulating yourself for a meal well cooked.  Out loud.  To yourself.  As in, "Awesome job, Shan!"  But I digress.

Arroz con Pollo is, simply, chicken and rice.  Most Hispanic cultures have a version of this.  I make a Puerto Rican version that is really delightful.  I actually learned how to make this in the first place, not from my island-born Grandmama, but from an episode of "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" a handful of years back.  This is a fantastic one-pot meal that feeds a large crowd and freezes beautifully.

See the recipe after the jump...



Here is my version of the winning recipe from that episode, pared down, and gringocized.  I may or may not have made up that word.

ARROZ CON POLLO

The Sofrito (you can find another recipe that calls for for sofrito here):
1 medium onion
1 medium green bell pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
1-2 sweet peppers (I used two gypsy peppers; traditionally, aji dulces are used in sofrito, but they are hard to find here)
3 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped) 
A few handfuls of cilantro leaves

Note:  I like to make a lot of sofrito at a time, since I use it often.  I freeze it in muffin tins and store the frozen rounds in a freezer bag.

The Other Stuff
Four chicken quarter legs and thighs, bone-in, or 6-8 boneless thighs
2-4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup of green pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives (I like more)
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
Three bay leaves (dried)
2-3 packets of Sazon
Four cups of long grain white rice
Six cups of chicken stock

Directions
In addition to the slight variances in the ingredients, the directions are where I diverge from the original recipe, just so you don't think I'm a total fraud.  Here's where it gets all gringotastic.  Yup, made that one up, too.

• Pulse the sofrito ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped.  This will save you tons of time.  If you don't have a food processor, go crazy with your knife until the ingredients are finely chopped, and then place in a bowl.
• In a large pot or Dutch oven (you know I use the Dutch oven!), heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the sofrito and cook until softened, but not browned.  Push the sofrito to the sides of the pan and add the chicken to the center of the pot to brown.  
• Sprinkle the upward facing sides of the chicken pieces and sofrito with half of one of the sazon packets.  When that side has browned, flip the pieces over to brown, and sprinkle the other side with the remaining sazon. 
• Add the olives and stir the contents of the pot together.
• Add the rice and stir into the mixture, ensuring it is coated with all the bits of sofrito and the sazon.  
• Add the chicken stock and bay leaves and stir to release the seasoning into the liquid.  Taste the liquid and adjust seasoning (i.e., add another packet of sazon), if necessary.  
• Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium.  Cover the pot.  Check after 20 minutes.  If the rice hasn't absorbed all the liquid, set the timer for another 5-10 minutes, or until it's done.  
• Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Don't stir the rice or it will get sticky.  This isn't risotto.  Trust me - if you leave it alone, you'll get the pegao that is so highly prized by Puerto Rican cooks and eaters - it's that crunchy brown rice coating that is at the very bottom of the pot.  You'll love it!