Signature Dish of the Day: Arroz Con Pollo

Signature Dish of the Day: Happy new week everyone...hard to believe we're already into the last week of January 😳. Staying in alignment with our singular mission to continually showcase culinary diversity, we're kicking off our week in style with this absolutely appetizing and simply irresistible Arroz Con Pollo as our signature dish of the day today! Translating to "rice with chicken," arroz con pollo is a traditional dish that is somewhat similar to paella and originates from Spain. It is also a popular component of Latin American cuisine as well. One aspect I absolutely love about this recipe is its utter simplicity - it takes only about 30 minutes in total to prepare on a stove top and it's a one-pot dish that combines amazing flavors that result in truly delicious and fulfilling meal. 

For my recipe, I first placed 6 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a large pot and let cook down under medium heat until all the natural water was fully absorbed. I always prefer chicken thighs as they are more flavorful! I then added about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, seasoned the chicken with some ground black pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, and salt, and seared all pieces on each side until they were lightly browned. After about 10 minutes, I took out all the pieces out of the pot using a pair of tongs and set them aside in a separate pan. I then poured in a blend diced red onions, crushed garlic, and tomatoes into the same large pot I had used to sear the chicken and stirred them thoroughly in order to de-glaze the bottom of the pan. After allowing this base mixture to sauté and cook for about 5 minutes, I then stirred in 2 cups of rinsed basmati rice and mixed to blend well with the base. I then placed the chicken pieces back into the pot and added 4 cups of cold water into the mixture. You can substitute chicken stock or vegetable broth for the water in this step - in fact, those substitutions would be highly recommended as they add another element of flavor to the dish. 

After seasoning with some salt to taste, I added 2 tablespoons of thick tomato paste, stirred thoroughly, and let the mixture cook under medium high-heat. Once some of the water had started to get absorbed by the rice, I reduced the heat to low and kept checking and stirring from time to time to ensure the rice did not coat the bottom of the pot. I have to admit that the first time I prepared this dish, I ended up losing quite a lot of cooked rice to the bottom of the pan. I learned my lesson the hard way and so when I made my second attempt at it, I discovered that removing the pot from the heat once most of the water had been absorbed (about 10 - 12 minutes through), and covering the pot completely to let the rice continue to absorb the remaining water and cook in the steam for about 10 additional minutes eliminated this "sticky" problem and produced significantly better results. Once the rice was fully cooked, I served this dish hot all on its own as the main dinner meal. Hearty, flavorful, and just downright delicious, this dish has firmly earned its place in our food hall of fame 😊. It's undoubtedly a great way to elevate your regular rice-based meal to a whole new level...so what are you waiting for? Give this a try soon and let us know how it goes. Enjoy! 😋😍