ARROZ CON POLLO

So, for those of you who don't speak Spanish, Arroz con Pollo simply means Rice with Chicken. As it happens, this dish is Mexican, a delicious mezcla of luscious chicken pieces sitting in a nest of very tasty long grain rice mixed with other ingredients that make it crazy delicious. Normally, this recipe contains canned baby corn, but the corn here in Sarawak was so young and fresh that I decided to try just chopping the ears into manageable pieces and adding them raw to the mix. Luckily it worked and this is the result. I served it with smoked ancho chillies on the side which were mind-blowingly hot, and sour cream to cool it all down. But you don't have to...the dish is perfect just as it is. Buen provecho!

INGREDIENTS

SERVES 6 with possible leftovers

8 chicken thighs or 1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium brown onion, chopped

3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup Basmati or other long grain rice

2 cups chicken stock

1 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 red pepper (capsicum, roasted and chopped)

1 400g can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 ears of fresh corn, cleaned and chopped into 3 pieces

SPICE RUB

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp sea salt

t tsp ground cumin

1 tsp red pepper flakes

METHOD

Since there are quite a few ingredients in this recipe, it's best to get everything ready (mise en place) before you start. So first, wash and pat dry your chicken pieces. Mix your spice rub in a bowl then rub all over the chicken.

Place your spiced chicken pieces in a big bowl sealed with cling film and leave in fridge for as long as possible, anything from 1 hour to overnight.

Wash your rice thoroughly and then let soak for 30 minutes or more, then drain.

Preheat your oven to 180C (350F).

Roast your red pepper in the oven until slightly blackened and chop roughly.

Put your chopped onion and garlic in another little bowl on the counter.

Measure out your chicken stock and place in saucepan ready to heat.

Open your cans of tomatoes and black beans.

Remove husks and silk from your ears of corn and wash, then cut each into three chunky pieces.

Now you're ready to cook!

In a 3.8 litre (4-quart) heavy Dutch oven with a cover, warm 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides, then set aside on a plate.

Add the final 1 tbsp olive oil to the pot and sauté the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.

Add the rice and stir for two minutes until all the grains of rice are slick with oil.

Warm the chicken stock and slowly add to the mix.

Add the tomatoes, roasted pepper, black beans and the chicken pieces.

Poke the chunks of corn down into the mix until they are submerged and then cover and cook for about half an hour on a gentle heat.

To finish off, place in the oven for another 10 - 15 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and the chicken is cooked through. Serve with something hot and spicy on the side and a bowl of sour cream (see intro).

Or not. 😋