Ajo, cebolla, tomate, y pimiento. The basis of all Cuban sofrito, and the heart of this dish in particular.
My mother would buy a whole chicken and cut it up for this dish, but I would usually make it with thighs and legs. Just be sure to use chicken on the bone, it won’t taste like anything if you use boneless.
She would brown the chicken in tocino, or lard. This recipe calls for bacon, but you can just use olive oil.
My mother used oregano, garlic, cumin, and achiote, which is a coloring made from a paste of annatto seeds. I always used a packet of Sazón Goya instead of all those spices, but you can use pimentón or paprika for color in place of achiote, and since that is easier to find than Sazón Goya, that is what I included here.
This was a typical Sunday meal with a simple salad-Boston lettuce with sliced tomatoes. Or my father’s favorite-watercress with olive oil and salt.
Arroz con Pollo
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon chopped
- 8 Whole chicken thighs with bone and skin
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 Small bell pepper, green or red or half a large pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 bottle beer 12 ounces
- 3.5 cups water or chicken broth
- 3.5 cups rice
- 1/2 cup peas
- red pimento strips for decoration
Instructions
- Sauté the bacon in a Dutch oven or sauté pan to render all the fat. Remove to a plate.
- Season the chicken with a sprinkle of salt and pepper on all sides.
- Fry the chicken in the bacon fat. Add a little olive oil if necessary. Use medium high heat to just brown on all sides and crisp the skin, but don’t cook too long. Remove to a plate.
- Add a little more oil if necessary to make the sofrito. Cook the onion, pepper, and garlic until soft.
- Add the tomato paste and spices, combine well, then add the rice, stir to coat, and return the chicken and bacon to the pan.
- Add the beer, stir for a minute, then add the broth or water and bring to a boil.
- Cover, lower the heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
- Add the peas when there are 5 minutes left to cook.
- Check rice for doneness, and if not quite ready, put heat very low or turn off and keep covered another five or ten minutes until done. Fluff and decorate with sliced red pimento peppers and serve.