Arroz con Pollo

Pimentón must be the most often reached for spice on my spice rack. Nearly any mundane dish, from chickpeas to chicken breasts, can be instantly improved with a healthy dose of pimentón. Of course, this smoked paprika is most at home in Spanish dishes; this one reason for my undying love for Spanish cuisine. The other night, I made arroz con pollo. The below recipe is adapted from one that appears in Penelope Casas' The Food & Wines of Spain. My rice was slightly more moist than it should have been due to my use of canned tomatoes (fresh tomatoes in NYC in November, fugghedabbout it) and a fairly fatty chicken (should have drained some of the fat), but the flavor was dead on, thanks to the pimentón, of course.


Arroz con Pollo
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken, cut into pieces
• 6 Tb olive oil
  
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 2 small yellow onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 2 piquillo peppers, drained and chopped
• 1 Tb hot pimentón
• 1/4 tsp. saffron
• 2 cups bomba rice
• 3 1/2 cups homemade chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• salt and pepper, to taste
  
• Minced parsely, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. Salt chicken pieces
3. Add olive oil to a large skillet (or paella pan, if you have it) and heat over med-high
4. Add chicken to pan and cook until nicely browned, about 7 min. per side. Remove chicken to plate and set aside.
5. Add green peppers, onions, and garlic to pan. Cook until peppers have softened, about 6 min. Reduce heat if necessary so that vegetables do not brown.
6. Add tomato and piquillo peppers to pan and cook about 5 min.
7. Add paprika, pimentón, and rice to pan. Stir to coat rice with oil.
8. Pour in broth and wine. Add salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook until rice has absorbed most of the liquid, about ten min.
9. Place chicken pieces over rice and place skillet in oven. Cook for 15 min.
10. Remove pan from oven and let sit, covered, for 10 min.
11. Garnish with parsley and serve.