Chicken-Spanish Style- Arroz Con Polo

This dish is full of flavors and each one is distinctive.  Serve this with your favorite wine…white or red…or beer.

Ingredients for four adults:

4 chicken breasts with bone/skin.  Cut each into quarters.  (You can substitute thighs and cut in halves…but the breast works great…about 4 lbs of chicken.)

Two tablespoons of your better cooking oil…I use Berio extra virgin for everything.

2 cups of chopped onions

1 diced green or red pepper.  (I used one jarred roasted red pepper…because I had it!)

4 oz. of smoked ham or bacon. (I used thick bacon…again…because I had it in the fridge.)

2 cups of medium  or long-grain rice.  (I used Italian risotto.)

1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 small cloves)

1 tablespoon paprika

Kosher sea salt and fresh ground pepper

3 cups chicken broth (4 if you use the risotto…it absorbs more)

1/4 teaspoon loosely packed saffron threads  ( see next photo for a few money saving tricks…)

This College Inn  chicken broth container is 4 cups and perfect for this dish.  the Sazon Goya is a super alternative to saffron.  Props to my Cousin Franco from Cafe Capriccio for introducing me to the Sazon!   The white wine is  Chardonnay…again…because I had it in my fridge and it’s better for cooking than Pinot Grigio…I prefer the Pinot to drink…but the Chardonnay definitely imparts more flavor.

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup of Goya capers

Let’s get started!

Salt and pepper your chicken to your taste and place in a tall-sided12-14″ pan in the 2 tablespoons of your oil heated to medium

Brown for 4-5 minutes each side.

Remove chicken from the pan and set aside for later.   No need to tent…just place in clean bowl.

If the chicken has created a lot of fat, remove all but 3 tablespoons of liquid from your pan and add the chopped onion and chopped bacon.  Reduce heat and cook the onion until translucent but not brown.

Add the risotto and toss so that all the rice is coated with the oil/fat mixture.

Cook over low heat, adding the garlic, paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Stir for a minute or two.

If you sense that some of the rice has stuck to the bottom, or if there is a good amount of chicken that had stuck, heat 1/2 cup of any white wine in a microwave for 30 seconds…do not use cold wine…deglaze the pan with the room-temperature wine, scraping any rice/chicken loose to become part of the dish.

Add 3 cups chicken stock, and 1/3 of one packet of the Sazon Goya.  (The Sazon comes in small packets about 2″ in size.)Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.  Place the chicken pieces on top of the rice.

Cover and heat over medium to low heat for 20 minutes.

Add the peas and capers.  spread on top of the chicken…sprinkle the oregano on top of your dish, re-cover, and cook for another 10 minutes over low-medium heat.

Remove from the heat, place on a trivet and serve out of your pan!

Mangia!