Arroz con Pollo

Rice with chicken. And saffron. A combination that we enjoy often. I first came upon arroz con pollo through The Art of Spanish Cooking by Betty Wason. Ms. Wason traveled extensively and part of her sojourns took her to Spain. The cookbook contains many easy-to-do recipes that are a joy.

The original recipe calls for a small - 2½ pound - chicken cut up, lean ham or Canadian bacon, pimentos and chicken broth. A larger chicken is fine to use just increase the cooking time. On occasion I have substituted chorizo for the lean ham or bacon. Also, I prefer to make my own pimentos by charring a red pepper on a gas stove until the skin is blackened, then cover it for 10 minutes so the skin loosens. You can also place it into a paper bag. The idea is to let the pepper steam to loosen the skin.

Since we like a lot of saffron rice, the quantity has been increased by 50% along with an increase in liquid. The original recipe called for ¼ cup of olive oil - use extra virgin which leaves the rice a little to oily for my tastes. Even though the original recipe calls for ½ teaspoon salt, be generous when seasoning the chicken. Some of the salt is lost during sautéing. I like the flavor of kosher salt.

Ms. Wason claims that by adding the chicken parts to the pan and covering for 15 to 20 minutes will finish the cooking of the chicken. Since I use larger chickens I finish the cooking this way: In order to ensure that the breasts are not overcooked, place the dark meat into the casserole/sauté pan into the oven for 10-15 minutes, then add the chicken breast for the last 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. I use the sauté pan for a one pan meal instead of placing ingredients into a casserole.

Click the title to get the recipe. As always, I enjoy hearing from you.