arroz con pollo, part 2

arroz con pollo. version II. for some reason i am obsessed with making the most authentic version of arroz con pollo that i can. this has taken some research. i understand homestyle recipes will vary greatly. i’ve compiled things from online recipes and tv cooking shows. this version has a more complex taste than my premier venture. this time, the chicken bathed in a homemade adobo marinade. adobo is a marinade for meats in the spanish-speaking caribbean and central america. the ingredients vary, but most have a base of oil, garlic and some type of acidic ingredient. i made a sazón seasoning. sazón means "seasoning" in spanish and it also refers to a seasoned salt that is used in puerto rican cooking. the seasonings add flavor and a subtle orange hue to many dishes. i sautéed it all in a homemade achiote oil. achiote oil is made from annatto seeds and used in the caribbean to add a yellowish-orange color to dishes. i bought the annatto seeds at a mexican grocery store. while making the oil, the house was perfumed with the scent of flowers! super traditional arroz con pollo calls for a wild herb called recao or culantro. not to be found around here, i ordered some seeds online from puerto rico. that will be for an up coming try. the rice should not be cooked into a gloppy mush, this means, rinse the rice and shake off excess water before you add it. i think marinating the chicken and rinsing the rice are two big secrets rosie perez tried to keep. so, now, you’re in the know. there are a couple steps to do before you begin cooking; make the achiote oil. marinate the chicken for 1-2 hours. the recipe looks intimidating, it's not...here’s how;



achiote oil 
annatto seeds, 1 package, about ½ cup
vegetable oil, 1 cup
mix the annatto seeds and oil together in a small saucepan. heat over medium flame until the seeds start to bubble. reduce heat to very low and let the seeds infuse in the oil for 5-10 minutes until the oil takes on a deep reddish-orange color. cool, strain and store in a jar.

sazón
1 tablespoon each of: ground coriander, ground cumin, ground annatto seeds or paprika, garlic powder and salt. mix all of the ingredients together and store the sazón in an airtight container. in recipes, use about 1½ teaspoons for each packet of sazón.
 
adobo marinade
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon salt
3 garlic gloves, put through a garlic press
mix marinade in a shallow food storage container with a lid or in a zip top bag. blot chicken dry and marinate for a couple hours. i left mine out on the kitchen counter. 
 
arroz con pollo
you'll need: 


4 chicken leg quarters, cut apart & marinated
2 tablespoons annatto oil (achiote oil)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup tomato, seeded and diced (i used tomatoes from a can, did not use juice)
4 cups chicken stock (or a mix of stock & beer)
10 small green olives with pimento, or 6 large
2 bay leaves
1½ teaspoons of sazón
2 tablespoons cilantro, culantro or recao (or skip, i did)
 
1 lb medium grain rice

first, make the achiote oil.
then, cut chicken into pieces, if necessary.
marinate the chicken. then,

in a dutch oven, over medium hight heat, fry marinated chicken in 2 tablespoons of achiote oil.

prep veg while chicken is browning on all sides. use a screen lid to prevent oil from popping everywhere.
 

transfer the chicken to a platter and pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.

for sofrito: add the onion, peppers to the oil, cook over medium heat heat until soft but do not brown. add the garlic, then the tomato and cook for one more minute.

wash rice and drain off the water.

add rice to pot. stir. note the beautiful color!

return the chicken and juices to pot.

add stock (or mixture of stock & beer), sazón, cilantro or recao leaves, 2 bay leaves, olives. bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes until liquid evaporates. then, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. check to make sure it’s not too watery. (you will see some liquid). cover and let rest for 10 minutes. serve.

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