Arroz Con Pollo

Total Time: 1 hr 29 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 4 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 4 pieces chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
• 4 chicken drumsticks, bone-in, skin on
• 2 teaspoons adobo seasoning (or salt, pepper, & paprika)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup whole-grain thin spaghetti (or vermicelli pasta, broken into 2-inch pieces)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 2 chili peppers, seeded and finely chopped (i used jalapenos)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup short grain brown rice (or use long-grain rice and reduce simmering time to 20 mins)

Recipe

• 1 season the chicken liberally with adobo seasoning (or salt, pepper, and paprika), add to a pre-heated large, shallow pot with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. once browned, remove the chicken to a plate and drain off the fat. add butter to the pot and melt. brown the pasta 2 minutes or until golden, remove to plate and reserve.
• 2 once the pasta is browned and has been removed from the pot, add the remaining tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. add the onion, celery, bell peppers, hot peppers, garlic and bay leaf to the pan. cook 5 to 6 minutes to soften up a bit, then add the rice. stir in the pasta and chicken stock. add the chicken and cover the pot, cook 50-55 minutes, until rice is tender. serve.
• 3 according to the original recipe, you can also cool this completely and store for make-ahead meal. (although i haven't tried this, so i don't know if it turns out well, nor do i know how long to allow for reheating).
• 4 when ready to serve, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f.
• 5 add 1/2 cup stock or water, sprinkled around the pan.
• 6 heat the dish in the oven until heated through. if made-ahead and reheated, the rice will become crunchy on top and at the edges, but this can be a plus in the texture of the dish.