Arroz con Pollo

(Rice with Chicken)

Serves

3 - 4 people.

Hardware

• 5 qt. flame-proof, oven-proof sauteuse pan

Ingredients

3	lb	chicken, boned and skinned, cut into chunks
		olive oil
1	med	onion, coarsley chopped
2	cloves	garlic, minced
1	cup	rice
1	lb	canned plum tomatoes, drained
1 ½	cups	chicken broth
½	cup	water
½	cup	white wine
¼	tsp	ground saffron
¼	tsp	red pepper flakes
1		bay leaf
		fresh ground black pepper (to taste, but sparingly)
		salt (to taste, but again, sparingly)

Procedure

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
   
   
2. Add to the pan only as much oil as needed to thinly coat the bottom.
   
   
3. Heat the oil over a high flame.
   
   
4. When the oil is hot, add only as much chicken as will fit in a single layer.
   
   
5. Cook the chicken over a high flame, turning it once, until it's golden brown on both sides (about 5 minutes per side); as each piece of chicken is done, remove it to a holding dish.
   
   Cook the chicken in as many batches as necessary.
   
   
6. When all the chicken is cooked, saute the onion and garlic until soft;if the pan is dry, add just a dribble more oil.
   
   
7. Add the broth, water, wine, tomatoes, rice, and all the seasonings; bring to a boil.
   
   
8. Return the chicken to the pan and remove from the flame.
   
   
9. Cover and bake until the chicken is fully cooked and the rice is tender (about 25 minutes).

Notes

A sauteuse pan is more wide than deep, and has short handles; by contrast, a sauce pan is more deep than wide, and usually has at least one long handle; a saute pan is a cross between the two: more wide than deep, with a long handle. All are made of metal, and can be used on top of the stove or in the oven (but make sure the handles won't melt).

I like to smoosh up the tomatoes a bit before adding them to the pan; a potato masher works well for this.

Be careful not to use too much salt or pepper, as you don't want to overwhelm the saffron.

The original recipe called for red, yellow, and green bell peppers (half a pepper of each color). I don't like bell peppers, so I've omitted them. Here are the directions for how to prepare them:

1. Seed the peppers and cut into strips.

2. About 5 - 10 minutes before the rice and chicken are done, heat 1 Tblsp of oil in a saute pan.

3. Cook the peppers until they are just tender (about 4 minutes).

4. Remove the casserole from the oven, add the peppers, and serve.

This dish goes well with black beans and a green vegetable (fresh green beans or peas).

Rating

Difficulty: Moderate.

Time: 1 ½ hours.

Precision: 2.

Source

Adapted from Good Old Food, by Irena Chalmers.