Arroz Con Pollo A La Chorrera

(Yellow Rice With Chicken & Beer)

submitted by and thanks to Richard Periut, M.D.

This is a popular Cuban dish, which blends the flavors of the Old
World (Spain), with the New World (The Americas). It is of Cuban
origin, and very much eaten amongst Cubans. The beer should be a
bitter one like Fosters Bitter, or Pilzner Urquel from Czechoslovakia.
There are many versions out there, but this one is taken from an old
Cuban cookbook written by the Julia Childs of Cuba (Nitza Villapol.) I
have tasted hundreds of versions, and this one seems to be the most
authentic and popular.

Ready! OK!

Ingredients:

1 Chicken (about 3 & 1/2 to 4 pounds)

Olive Oil (or any oil that won’t burn quickly like peanut oil) 1/4 cup

1 Medium White Onion (Finely chopped)

3 Cloves of Garlic (minced)

1 Medium Sized Green Bell Pepper Finely Chopped (Remove seeds from the
peppers you will use)

Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper To Taste

2 Cups of Water

2 cups of Rice (The best rice to use is called pearl rice, also known
as short grained rice, also known as risotto Italian rice) It is not
long grained! It is more like short spherical grains, although not
that spherical. (This is an essential part of the recipe) Goya has a
good version.

1 Red Bell Pepper that has been charred all over an open flame. ( Just
put the pepper on an open flame, turning every now and then, until
black all over. When cool to touch, take the black skin off under
running cold water. Cut into strips of about the length of the pepper,
and set aside for the decoration of the dish.

Saffron 1/2 teaspoon of threads (Very Important for the dish. It is
what imparts the dish its flavor.) If you wish, with the saffron, you
may add 1/2 teaspoon of yellow coloring.

3 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste

2 Cups (or more if needed) of Bitter Beer.

1/2 Cup of Loose Green Peas or (Petit Pouis) Little tiny green peas
that sometimes come frozen or canned.

Take the chicken and cut it into drumsticks, thighs, wings, and breast
cut in quarters. Save the rest of the carcass for chicken stock if you
want. I like to remove the skin from the breast and thighs, but leave
it on the wings and drum sticks.

Clean under cold water, and pat dry each piece with paper towels.

In a Dutch Oven (a casserole of steel or aluminum with a lid) add the
olive oil. Heat at medium/high heat for a couple of minutes so that
the chicken sizzles when placed in the pot.

Add the chicken pieces one by one to form an almost single layer. Do
not overcrowd or pot will cool and chicken will not brown nicely. Add
salt & pepper to taste. When browned on one side, turn over, and
again, salt & pepper to taste. You may need to do it in two batches
(depending on the size of the pot.)

Cook over medium/high heat until golden on both sides. Remove the
chicken from the pt, and place aside. Discard all but about 2
tablespoons of fat from the pot. Scrape the pieces of chicken that are
stuck to the pot, with a wooden spoon. When the oil is hot again, add
the onions and green bell pepper, and saffron threads broken up with
your fingers. Sauté until onion is a little transparent. Add the
garlic (avoid burning the garlic which imparts a harsh flavor to the
food) and stir for a minute or two more.

Now, add the 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, and cook for another two
minutes, while stirring.

After the two minutes, return the chicken to the pot, add the rice,
and stir. Cook for another minute. Now add the two cups of water, and
stir the whole thing. Cover with a lid, lower the heat to low/medium
(make sure the rice doesn’t burn), and cook for 30 minutes. During
those 30 minutes, you must stir the dish about 2 times. No more than
that or you will break the chicken and make the rice very gooey. If
you find that the rice is sticking to the bottom, scrape it gently,
and lower the heat.

After the 30 minutes, add 1/2 of the green peas (save the rest for
decoration), and add the beer (you may add more beer if you notice
that the rice is too dry; use judgement.) Stir it once more, to get
all the beer into the rice. Lower the heat to low. Cover again, and
cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. The
rice should be fluffy, and not hard, nor too mushy. If it is hard, add
a little (1/2 cup) more beer, and cover and cook over low heat for
another 10 minutes. You may sometimes need to repeat the last step 2
or three times.

Correct for salt & black pepper to taste.

After that, give it a good stir, transfer to a large serving plate,
and add the remaining peas on top. Arrange long slices of the charred
red pepper, so as to adorn the dish.

Serve with a nice cold beer that you were using for the cooking. A
complete delicious and nutritious meal in one!