Serves 4-6 Prep time 10 mins Cooking time 45 mins
I was born in Los Angeles, but from ages 8-15 I lived in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Malaga. Growing up in southern Spain was a dream; the beautiful beaches, amazing architecture, wonderful people and of course THE FOOD... I absolutely loved it and hope to be able to move back one day.
One of my favorite Spanish dishes is Arroz con Pollo; it's a super flavorful chicken and rice dish with Saffron that resembles the taste of paella. My Spanish grandma used to make this recipe for us when I was a little girl and my sister and I loved it so much, my dad learned to make it for us. This was one of the first recipes I learned how to make on my own when I was about 12 years old, so it holds a special place in my heart.
Ingredients
6-8 chicken thighs
1 white onion
1 bell pepper (any color)
1 tomato
3 cloves of garlic
2 cups of Paella rice (arroz bomba)
1 cup of white or red wine (or a light beer, if you don't have wine)
Large pinch of dried saffron threads + chicken seasoning (or
2 packets of sazon with saffron)
Garlic Salt
2 bay leaves
Parsley (fresh if possible)
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Chicken broth (or water, you will just need more seasoning)
Prep
1. First, season the chicken with garlic salt + brown both sides in a dutch oven with
a few tablespoons of olive oil. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. In the same dutch oven, make the refrito:
Finely chop the onion, bell pepper, tomato and garlic cloves.
Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add in the chopped onion. Cook for 2-3 mins or until they start to become soft and translucent. Next, add the bell pepper and cook for another few mins.
Add the tomato and garlic last and let simmer for a few mins until all components are cooked thoroughly.
3. Add garlic salt & chopped parsley.
4. Add 1 cup of white wine or a light beer the chicken back in.
5. Add the bay leaves + about 2 tablespoons of chicken seasoning (cubito de pollo) and a few pinches of Saffron or 2 packets of sazon with saffron seasoning. Mix thoroughly and let cook on medium heat for a 5 mins.
6. In a separate pot, warm 3 cups of chicken broth and set aside.
7. Back in the dutch oven, add in 2 cups of rice and 3 cups of the hot chicken broth. Add in a salt to taste if needed. Cook on high until the broth boils & cover.
8. The traditional way to cook the arroz con pollo is by adding a little bit of the hot broth at a time, just like you make a paella; but that part is hard to describe in a recipe and the ability to cook the rice that way comes with practice. Instead, I tested a few other options and found a few easier ways. I’ve tried both ways and it comes out equally as delicious!
You can either let it cook on low on the stove for 30 mins or
Put in the oven at 350F for 30 mins
Note: After the you remove the dutch oven from either the stove or oven, let sit covered for about 10 mins before serving.
Enjoy!