Kirstens Cuban Chicken And Rice Recipes

ARROZ CON POLLO

Steps:

• Trim any excess fat from the chicken and season with 1 teaspoon of salt.
• Add 1½ teaspoon of salt, oregano, paprika, turmeric, cumin and black pepper to a small bowl. Stir the seasoning mix to combine.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the chicken, skin side down. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes, then turn and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat. Remove the chicken from the pot and set on a plate or pan. Loosely cover the chicken with a piece of foil, to keep it warm.
• Do not wash the pot. Set it back over medium heat and add the onions. Cook the onions for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the garlic, tomato paste and the prepared seasoning mix (1½ teaspoon of salt, oregano, paprika, turmeric, cumin and black pepper) to the pot. Stir well until combined. and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Carefully, add the white wine to the pot and stir, while gently scraping any bits off the bottom. Cook for 1 minute, or until most of the wine cooks out.
• Add the rice, chicken broth, water, and the bay leaf to the pot. Stir well to combine.
• Add the chicken back to the pot. Arrange it so that it's not stacked.
• Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Stir the rice frequently while waiting for the liquid to come to a boil.
• Once boiling, lower the heat to medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• The rice should now be visible on the surface and should not sink to the bottom of the pot when stirred.
• Give everything a good stir. Lower the heat to low, cover and cook the chicken and rice for 20 minutes. Stir after 10 minutes, then stir again after the 20 minutes.
• Taste a little bit of the rice. If it needs a salt, this is the time to add it. As a reference, we added ½ teaspoon of salt to ours. Stir well.
• Raise the heat to medium-low and slowly add the beer, while stirring. Cover and cook the chicken and rice for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to low and cook another 10 minutes.
• Taste the rice, if it's still not done, cover and let it steam another 15 minutes or until done.
• Garnish with the sweet peas, if desired.

ARROZ CON POLLO (CUBAN CHICKEN & RICE RECIPE)

Steps:

• First, pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel then season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
• In a wide Dutch oven or large pot with a heavy bottom and a lid, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Over medium heat, place chicken thighs in the pan and brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate.
• Next, add the remaining olive oil and sauté onion, garlic and red pepper, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
• Add the rice, chicken stock, tomato sauce, annatto powder, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper to the saucepan. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
• Bring to a boil then add the chicken thighs to the mixture. Reduce heat to low and cover with the lid.
• Cooking low and slow will ensure you don't burn the rice. Every stove cooks differently so after 40 minutes, take a peek and see if the liquid has been absorbed. If yes, remove the pot from the heat immediately so it doesn't continue to cook with the residual heat. If not, continue to cook in 5 minute increments until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove pot from the heat.
• Fluff the rice with a fork then stir in the frozen peas until warm. Serve and enjoy!

ONE-PAN CUBAN CHICKEN WITH RICE AND BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large straight-sided ovenproof skillet, brown bacon over medium-high, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon cumin, salt, and pepper. Brown in skillet, turning once, about 10 minutes; transfer to plate.
• Remove fat from skillet. Add oil, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until translucent, 3 minutes.
• Add rice, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and oregano. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, beans, and bacon; season with salt and pepper. Nestle in chicken, skin-side up. Bring to a boil, then cover and transfer to oven. Roast until liquid is absorbed and chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; serve.