Arroz con Pollo

Yum, the delicious taste of childhood is calling... Growing up, I very rarely remember eating macaroni and cheese, or those other childhood "classics". I remember eating castillos y somberos (castles and hats, which I later learned was actually called arroz cubano) and my absolute favorite one pot wonder of all time, arroz con pollo, or chicken with rice (far to simple a name to describe the tastiness of this concoction). So with a tip of my hat to my old nanny, Raquel, or more specifically her mother Maria, who made this for me every she visited, or I visited Spain, my very own Arroz con Pollo.


Arroz con Pollo:
6 boneless chicken thighs (skin on or skinless, your preference)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2-3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup white wine
2 cups of white rice
3 cups of chicken stock
Olive oil
1 packet of saffron
salt, pepper.
2-3 Chorizo sausages (optional)

In a medium to large pot coat the bottom with olive oil and heat on medium-high. Add the saffron to the wine, and let sit. Salt and pepper the chicken. Add the chicken to the oil (skin side down, if skin-on), let brown for 3-4 minutes then flip and repeat. Remove the chicken from the oil and add the onions and the garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes. Add the saffron wine mixture and raise heat to bring mixture to a simmer. Stirring occasionally, allow the mixture to cook until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir in rice and reduce heat to low. Put the chicken back in the pot, and cook covered for 45 minutes to an hour (until rice is tender), stirring once in the middle. If using sausage, add in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Serve and Enjoy.

Happy Eating.