My Favorite Arroz Con Pollo Cubano

"I know there are already a number of recipes for this, but this one really is a little different and really is awfully good. Leaving the chicken on the bone makes it more flavorful and juicier. You can use jarred pimento, but it's not that hard to roast the sweet pepper yourself and it tastes much better. You can reduce the garlic and leave out the hot pepper, but I think a little zing is a good thing. The basic recipe is thanks to Maria Josepha Lluria de Higgins. Cooking time includes marinating time."
 
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Ready In:
1hr 50mins
Ingredients:
17
Serves:
8
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ingredients

  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon salt (sea or kosher)
  • 1 teaspoon pepper, fresh ground
  • 13 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed
  • 13 cup lime juice, fresh squeezed
  • 4 lbs chicken breasts, bone-in, skin removed
  • 14 cup olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, finely chopped
  • 1 large green bell pepper, peeled, cored, seeded and finely chopped
  • 3 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade without salt
  • 6 saffron strands, toasted over medium heat for 30 seconds
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 small hot red pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 cups rice (Valencia, short grain)
  • 12 - 1 cup white wine, dry
  • 1 12 cups baby peas (frozen or fresh and steamed)
  • 1 large sweet red pepper, roasted over an open flame, skinned, cored, seeded and cut into strips
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directions

  • Chop the garlic on a cutting board.
  • Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the garlic and, with a fork, mash the garlic/salt/pepper into a paste.
  • Combine the garlic paste, orange juice and lemon juice.
  • Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts.
  • Place chicken and garlic/juice mixture in a large zip-lock bag or into a glass dish with a cover.
  • Refrigerate for at least one hour, turning the chicken pieces in the marinade midway through the hour.
  • Heat the oil over medium heat in a paellera or wide, shallow pan.
  • Remove chicken from marinade, reserving the marinade.
  • Blot the chicken dry with paper towels and brown the pieces in the hot oil.
  • If necessary, do this in batches--allow the individual pieces to brown on both sides.
  • Remove and set browned chicken aside.
  • In the same oil, saute the onion and green pepper about three minutes until onion is translucent.
  • Add the broth, saffron, tomato paste, hot pepper, reserved marinade and the chicken and simmer for about three minutes.
  • Add the rice and stir just enough to cover the rice with liquid.
  • If the rice is not covered, add enough wine to cover.
  • Simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked, about thirty minutes.
  • If necessary, add additional broth and/or wine.
  • When the chicken is almost done, warm the peas.
  • When the rice is cooked, remove from heat and garnish the dish with the peas and roasted red pepper strips.

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Reviews

  1. Excellent and elegant recipe. I substituted basmati for Valencia rice. I used a whole chicken but it's best with chicken breast. I will definitely use it again!
     
  2. Great taste. I had just a little problem with my rice. This is the first time I've used Valencia rice and had a little trouble getting it to cook thoroughly. I probably jut need to get used to how a short grain rice is different from long grain.
     
  3. Very tastey!! I skipped the green peas (not a favorite of mine) and skipped the saffron, other than that followed the recipe pretty close! I loved the marinade!! Thanks for a great recipe!
     
  4. I made this recipe tonight and it was great. I halved the recipe, but used the same amount of garlic, orange juice & lemon to marinate the chicken. I did add more than one chilli but I think that that is really down to personal preference. The dish is really hearty and filling, with great flavours, and I will definitely make this again. Thanks Kate!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>I have always loved to cook. When I was little, I cooked with my Grandmother who had endless patience and extraordinary skill as a baker. And I cooked with my Mother, who had a set repertoire, but taught me many basics. Then I spent a summer with a French cousin who opened up a whole new world of cooking. And I grew up in New York City, which meant that I was surrounded by all varieties of wonderful food, from great bagels and white fish to all the wonders of Chinatown and Little Italy, from German to Spanish to Mexican to Puerto Rican to Cuban, not to mention Cuban-Chinese. And my parents loved good food, so I grew up eating things like roasted peppers, anchovies, cheeses, charcuterie, as well as burgers and the like. In my own cooking I try to use organics as much as possible; I never use canned soup or cake mix and, other than a cheese steak if I'm in Philly or pizza by the slice in New York, I don't eat fast food. So, while I think I eat and cook just about everything, I do have friends who think I'm picky--just because the only thing I've ever had from McDonald's is a diet Coke (and maybe a frie or two). I have collected literally hundreds of recipes, clipped from the Times or magazines, copied down from friends, cajoled out of restaurant chefs. Little by little, I am pulling out the ones I've made and loved and posting them here. Maybe someday, every drawer in my apartment won't crammed with recipes. (Of course, I'll always have those shelves crammed with cookbooks.) I'm still amazed and delighted by the friendliness and the incredible knowledge of the people here. 'Zaar has been a wonderful discovery for me.</p>
 
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