Arroz con Pollo

Ingredients

• 6chickenusually thighs, skin-on or skinless; breast also possible
• 14⅛ ozlong-grain ricerinsed and drained
• 4¼ cupschicken brothor water; cooking liquid for the rice
• 3 tbspolive oilpartly for the marinade, partly for searing
• 1oniondiced
• 5 clovesgarlicminced
• 1½ tbsptomato pastedissolved in the cooking liquid
• 1 tbspwhite wine vinegarfor the marinade
• 1 tspchili powderfor marinade and rice
• 1½ tsponion powderfor the marinade
• 1 tbspOreganopreferably Mexican oregano
• ½ tspcumin
• 2 tspsaltpartly in the marinade, the rest to taste in the rice
• 1 bunchcilantrochopped, for garnish
• 1limecut into wedges for serving (optional)
• 1green chile pepperpoblano or jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional)
• 5¼ ozpeasthawed, folded into the hot rice at the end (optional)

Method

1. Marinate the chickenRub the chicken thighs thoroughly with part of the olive oil, the white wine vinegar, part of the chili powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin and part of the salt, then cover and let them marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. Sear the thighsHeat the rest of the olive oil in a large, heavy pot or deep lidded skillet and sear the chicken thighs over medium-high heat until well browned on both sides. Lift them out and set aside.
3. Toast the riceAdd the rinsed, well-drained long-grain rice to the fat left in the pot and toast it, stirring constantly, until the grains take on a little color.
4. Add onion and garlicAdd the onion, the diced green chile if you're using it, and the garlic, and cook briefly with the rice until fragrant.
5. Stir in broth and seasoningPour in the chicken broth or water, add the tomato paste, the remaining chili powder and the remaining salt to taste, and stir until the tomato paste has completely dissolved.
6. Simmer chicken and riceLay the seared chicken thighs on top of the rice and bring everything to a boil. Cover, turn the heat down low and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid and the chicken is cooked through.
7. Rest and fold in peasTake the pot off the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for a few minutes. If you like, fold the thawed peas into the hot rice now.
8. Garnish and serveScatter with chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Tips and variations

You can also cook arroz con pollo in the oven at about 175 °C (350 °F) instead of on the stovetop: bake the rice covered for 15 minutes, lay the chicken on top, bake another 15 minutes covered and finish with 5 minutes uncovered. For a fruitier version, add lime and orange juice, garlic powder and ground coriander to the marinade, braise a poblano along with everything else and fold in peas at the end. Another version brines the chicken instead of marinating it and swaps the tomato paste for an oven-roasted tomato blended with onion, garlic and jalapeño. Chicken breast can also stand in for the thighs.