The signature dish of Tampa, Florida, arroz con pollo is always found at every Hispanic restaurant and every Latino home at least on a weekly basis. It was the main meal at the annual picnics held by Tampa’s Hispanic social clubs. It’s delicious, colorful, exotic, and a crowd-pleaser. Everyone has a bit of a variation on the recipe. I learned a bit from my grandmother, my maternal aunt and my paternal aunt. Between my cousin and I we have altered the original recipe over the years only to have an even more delicious dish. When we were young I don’t remember any of my relatives using wine or beer in the recipe, but I do. I also learned from my paternal aunt to add a can of stewed tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes. The taste makes a difference. So, here is my version of arroz con pollo.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Cups of long grain rice (In Spain, they use short grain or Bomba rice)
- 1 Whole 3 to 4 pound chicken fryer cut into 10 pieces
- 1 Medium yellow onion
- 1 Cup minced green bell pepper
- 2 to 3 Bay leaves
- 1/4 Cup chopped garlic
- 1/2 Cup olive oil
- 1 Can stewed tomatoes
- 1 Tsp saffron threads
- 2 Packets Vigo Yellow Rice Seasoning or Goya Sazon seasoning or 2 Tsp. Bijol Yellow Rice Seasoning
  
- 1 Cup peas, frozen or canned
- 1 Roasted red pepper
- 1 Cup of beer
- 3 Cups chicken broth
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Carve the chicken into 10 pieces (2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 breasts each cut in half)
- Cut off the tips of the wings.
- Trim off excess skin and visible fat. If you prefer you can take the skin off of all pieces.
- Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken, brown in a pan with a little olive oil and set aside.
- In a large pot, saute the onions, bell pepper, bay leaves and saffron until the onions are translucent and the peppers are tender.
- Add the garlic and continue sauteing for about 30 seconds.
- Crush the stewed tomatoes in a bowl and add to the sauteed vegetables and continue cooking until the tomatoes have cooked down and thickened.
- Add the broth and beer and the packets of yellow rice seasoning and stir to combine.
- Add the pieces of chicken and put on simmer.
- Place a covered roasting pan (I use a speckled enamel roasting pan
) or large pot on the bottom rack of your oven and heat to 425 degrees F. This helps give a little bit of a crusty bottom to the rice that is so popular in Spain. - Once the oven has heated to the proper temperature, carefully uncover the the roasting pan or pot add the rice and pour the chicken and liquid into the pan and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook for 30 minutes. If the rice is too liquid after thirty minutes, uncover and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes covered. The rice should be moist.
- Garnish with peas and strips of the roasted red pepper.
BUEN PROVECHO!!!