Arroz con pollo

Name: Arroz con pollo
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Latin American
Ingredients: 1.2 kg bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 8; 1.5 tsp salt, for the chicken; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp sweet paprika; 0.5 tsp ground turmeric, or 1 tsp ground annatto; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, chopped; 1 green pepper, chopped; 1 red pepper, chopped; 4 clove garlic, finely chopped; 15 g fresh coriander, stems finely chopped, leaves kept for serving; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 400 g long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained; 900 ml chicken stock, hot; 0.5 tsp salt, for the rice; 60 g pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced; 150 g frozen peas

1 h 20
Prep 20 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 6
easy

Start cooking

Golden chicken thighs cooked on a bed of rice with peppers, garlic, olives and spices, all in one pot, finished with sweet green peas.

Method

1
Pat the chicken dry and rub it all over with the salt, cumin, oregano, paprika and turmeric.
2
Heat the oil in the casserole over medium-high heat and brown the chicken skin side down until deep golden.
3
Turn the pieces, brown the other side briefly and lift them onto a plate.
4
Pour off all but about 2 tbsp of the fat, then cook the onion and peppers over medium heat until soft.
5
Stir in the garlic, coriander stems and tomato paste and cook for a minute.
6
Add the rice and stir until every grain is coated and glossy.
7
Pour in the hot stock, add the salt, scrape up the browned bits from the base and bring to the boil.
8
Nestle the chicken into the rice skin side up, pour in any juices from the plate and scatter over the olives.
9
Cover tightly, turn the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender, the liquid absorbed and the chicken cooked through.
10
Scatter the peas over the top, cover again and leave off the heat so they steam through.
11
Fluff the rice around the chicken with a fork and serve scattered with coriander leaves.

Notes

Do not stir once the lid is on. If you like a crisp layer of rice on the base, leave the pot on medium heat for the last 3 to 4 minutes before resting.
It can also cook covered in the oven at 180°C for about 35 minutes once the chicken goes in.
Annatto gives the classic deep orange colour. Turmeric gives a similar look with a milder, earthier flavour.

Equipment

Large heavy casserole with a tight lid, Tongs, Wooden spoon

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