Nov 18 2008
Arroz con pollo or chicken rice
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Published by Laylita at 1:11 am under Comfort food, Kid friendly, Main dishes, Poultry, Rice and pastas, South America
Arroz con pollo –literally rice with chicken – is another one of those meals that I want when I crave a good home cooked meal ; each person’s version of that home cooked meal varies based on their personal experiences, but I’m sure that you can remember the smell and the taste of the dish you crave, and of course the pleasure that you feel when you take the first bite is the same for everyone, and why is it that those cravings usually show up right when you’re surrounded by every possible choice -food wise- except for the food you really crave? I could go on forever about my theories on food cravings (and I’m not even pregnant), but back to arroz con pollo, which again like so many other Latin/South American/Ecuadorian dishes has many variations from one country, region, city or home to another. The ingredients, besides the rice and chicken, will differ from one family’s recipe to another or simply based on what one has in their refrigerator or pantry. There are also different preparation methods for arroz con pollo or chicken rice, one of the typical ways to make chicken rice is to first poach or boil the chicken until tender, then remove the meat, while separately cooking the rice in the broth where the chicken was cooked, and later combining all the parts together; the other method – which I used for this recipe – is to sauté the chicken pieces with the vegetables and then add the rice and broth or beer/wine and cook everything together until the chicken and rice are cooked. I prefer to prepare the arroz con pollo this way because I like the way all the flavors concentrate together, also the first method – cooking the rice and chicken separately – is more of what I consider a chaulafan de pollo than arroz con pollo, chaulafan de pollo is an Ecuadorian version of chicken fried rice and it is also a great dish, I will share that recipe later.
This chicken rice is a great dish for satisfying hungry people – including a hungry husband’s need for carbs after a long run -, I like to serve it with the typical side dishes that accompany many other South American meals: curtido de cebollas or pickled onions, fried ripe plantains, avocado slices and a good hot sauce or aji.
On a completely unrelated note, today – Nov. 18 – is the 188th anniversary of the independence of my hometown, Loja, so feliz dia de la independencia to all my fellow lojanos!
Ingredients:
3 lbs chicken, assorted pieces
1 tbs achiote powder
1 tbs ground cumin
½ tbs ground coriander
10 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 tbs oil or butter
1 white onion, diced, about 2 cups
2 celery stalks, finely diced
4 roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 cup beer or white wine
1 to 1 ½ cup water or broth
2 cups rice
2 medium carrots, diced
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
3 tbs finely chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper
Sides – ripe fried plantains, pickled onions or side salad, avocado slices and aji criollo
Preparation:
- Mix the crushed garlic, achiote, cumin, coriander and salt together.
- Rub the garlic seasoning on the chicken pieces.
- Heat the oil or butter on medium high heat in large sauté pan, add the chicken pieces (skin side down) and cook until browned on each side.
- Add the diced onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, and celery, mix well and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 1 cup of beer or white wine, cook for about 20-25 minutes over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half, stir frequently.
- Add the broth or water, rice, peas and carrots, mix well.
- Cover and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the rice is tender but still slightly firm.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve with ripe fried plantains, a small salad, pickled onions, avocado slices, and hot sauce on the side.
I am so psyched to see this recipe, this is a dish that I want to get the hang of!
The photolog is as sabroso as the recipe.
A mouthwatering dish! So colorful, flavorful and deliciously spicy! Yummy!
Cheers,
Rosa
Oh my gosh. My stomach just started rumbling when i saw the top photo! I can’t even tell you how wonderful this looks!
This looks so good — we’ve always made this with just breast meat, since Lisa’s not the biggest dark meat fan…
I love beer in my dinner.
I agree with Joan – that photo series is amazing! I usually make my arroz con pollo much more simply but I’m going to try a few of your additions!
Thank you for yet another gorgeous, yummy looking recipe Laylita! And all the step by step photos…I am definitely going to make this for my family over the holidays! YUM!
Ah No sabes lo feliz que estoy que hayas puesto una receta nueva. Soy una FAN de tu pagina. Soy Guayaquilena pero vivo en USA, me encanta cocinar pero aparentemente no tengo buena memoria de las recetas. (a pesar que pasaba con mi abuelita todas las tardes viendola cocinar) tu refrescas y me ayudas para impresionar a mi esposo (recien nos casamos)…. Todas las recetas que hecho tuyas me han salido deliciosas, no puedo esperar para hacer esta hoy. Millon Gracias por tan increible trabajo
Beautiful step-by-step photos, and the finished dish is stunning! Arroz con pollo is one of my favorite comfort foods, too, even though it’s not the chicken-and-rice dish I grew up with. It’s better!
That looks absolutely delicious! I definitely have to try making this some time.
Happy Independence Day! I think it’s time for me to make some arroz con pollo, Laylita-style!
Paz XOXO
That looks really tasty!
This looks like another winner of a dish, Laylita! I love the combination of chicken and rice — and this arroz con pollo has all the flavours I like. Bookmarked: thanks!
Hola. Soy guayaco de 28 Anos. Este arroz con pollo no se parece al de mi mama, pero se ve delicioso. Lo voy a hacer este fin de semana. Gracias
Looks great – just perfect for this time of year. I love the shot of it all in the pot. Great stuff.
Thaaaaaanks!!!!! It looks awesome!! Cant wait to try it!!
SE VE RIQUISIMO
not now!!its midnight, it looks so good!
Your photographs are spectacular!! Makes me want to head for the kitchen ASAP. YUM!!
Hi Laylita im from Bali – Indonesia living in Norway
Thanks for the recipe
i just finish cooked this dish for my mother in law
its so yummy and everyone loves it
La receta es deliciosa! Pase cuatro meses en Loja y me encantaba la ciudad y la gente! Gracias por publicar este pagina.
This is spectacular,mouthwatering dish that i love to serve my guest . . EXCELLENTE
Hi,
Made this for my family last night. My parents showed up with dinner so we haven’t eaten it yet. Will tonight, BUT I must say that we did taste it and it was wonderful. I am hoping with most dishes that it will taste even better tonight for dinner. I didn’t have anchiote, but I looked up an online substitute and it was fine. Thanks again for a great recipe. I will definitely make this again.
Kim
Hi,
I just wanted to say that your photos and recipes are truly inspiring. I work in IT and have just recently decided to pursue my culinary desires. I’ve always been the go to cook in my home and family and this website just gives me hope that one day I’ll be making dishes as appealing as yours (both visually and…ummm yummilly lol).
Hey, what a recipe!
I don’t cook much at home so it was a surprise when i came out with el arroz con pollo.. They loved it!!
Thanks sooo much for your great recipes and step by step photos!
Its a big help for a non cooker..
I lived for one year in Guayaquil when I was a teen. At least twice a week this norteamericano would visit the Cantagallo and order Arroz con pollo. It was soooo delicious, and I have been searching for “that taste” ever since. I hope this is it.