Cuban Arroz Con Pollo Recipe

This is a staple for people growing up in Miami in the United States and in Cuban this is pretty much the staple dish. We hope you enjoy this authentic recipe. Visit the Cuban Recipe section on The Hispanic Food Network.


Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook
time: 45 minutes
Total
time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield:
8 servings


Arroz con pollo is enjoyed by many Latin cultures. The
Cuban version is highly spiced -- but NOT spicy hot. It's a favorite Cuban
Sunday lunch dish,

FROM OUR AMIGOS AT ICUBAN

 INGREDIENTS:

4 strips
bacon
8
chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
To taste salt,
pepper, and cumin for chicken
1/2 cup olive oil for
frying
1 large onion, chopped
5 cachucha peppers, chopped
(Substitute 1 large green or red pepper)
4 cloves garlic, mashed
1 12-ounce bottle beer
3 and 1/2 cups chicken
broth
1 (8-ounce)
can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon Bijol
Powder
1
bay leaf
2 teaspoons oregano
2
teaspoons cumin, ground
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black
pepper
3 1/2 cups
parboiled rice
1/2 cup frozen green baby
peas

Sauté the bacon in a large frying pan. Reduce heat
to low and let the fat render out of the bacon -- about 10 minutes. Meanwhile,
season the chicken lightly with salt, pepper and a little cumin. Once the fat is
released, remove the bacon, increase temperature to medium-high and add the
chicken to the hot bacon fat. Remove the
chicken when it is browned on both sides.


Add a little olive oil to the same pan you fried
the chicken in, and sauté the onion and green pepper until the onion is
translucent. Add the mashed garlic and cook an additional minute or two,
stirring frequently.


Take the chicken broth and beer and pour into a
large covered pot. Add the browned chicken pieces, cooked onions and green
pepper, tomato sauce, Bijol, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. And
hey, why let all that delicious bacon go to waste? Chop it up and toss it in!
Bring everything to a rolling boil, reduce
heat, cover and cook on low for 15 minutes.


Add the rice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
When the rice has absorbed some of the liquid, cover and simmer on low for about
30-45 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked and not soupy. Add the frozen
peas during the last five minutes of cooking only.


For a dinner, serve the whole chicken pieces with
the rice. For a party, you may remove the chicken, skin, de-bone and break it
into bite-size chunks. However, DO NOT try to substitute any boneless, skinless
chicken in this recipe -- unless you enjoy serving a disaster!