Friday, January 4, 2019

Arroz con Pollo

4 - 5 chicken thighs; with skin and bones
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
1 - 2 shallots; chopped
3 cloves garlic; chopped fine
2 anchovies
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 single-serve bottle white wine
10 - 30 saffron threads
3 - 5 Campari tomatoes; quartered
1/2 - 1 cup "Greek Mix" or 
pitted Kalamata olives
1 1/2 cups Bomba rice
3 cups chicken broth
salt
pepper

Heat oven to 375. Salt and pepper both sides of chicken. Add saffron threads to wine.

In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium-low. When hot, add chicken skin side down and brown uncovered until thighs no longer stick. Turn and brown for another 3 minutes. Don't over crowd Dutch oven. Remove chicken and set aside. Do not discard the oil. 

In the now seasoned Dutch oven, increase the heat to medium, cook scallions until soft; 2 minutes. Add garlic; 1 minute. Add and combine anchovies, tomatoes paste
; 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives and combine lightly; 1 minute. Deglaze pan with all the saffron-wine; simmer until moisture is reduced by half; 3 minutes. Stir in rice and cook briefly; 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken stock; 1 minute. Return the chicken and collected juices. Rest the chicken skin side up on the rice mixture. 

Cover and bake in oven for 25-30 minutes. At 25 minutes, check doneness of rice by sliding a spoon between the rice and the side of the pan. The rice will very slowly ooze back when it's ready. 

When ready, remove from oven; let stand cover for 5-10 minutes covered; serve.

Salt and pepper along the way as needed.