My Favorite Arroz Con Pollo Cubano Recipes

Steps:

• Chop the garlic on a cutting board.
• Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the garlic and, with a fork, mash the garlic/salt/pepper into a paste.
• Combine the garlic paste, orange juice and lemon juice.
• Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts.
• Place chicken and garlic/juice mixture in a large zip-lock bag or into a glass dish with a cover.
• Refrigerate for at least one hour, turning the chicken pieces in the marinade midway through the hour.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a paellera or wide, shallow pan.
• Remove chicken from marinade, reserving the marinade.
• Blot the chicken dry with paper towels and brown the pieces in the hot oil.
• If necessary, do this in batches--allow the individual pieces to brown on both sides.
• Remove and set browned chicken aside.
• In the same oil, saute the onion and green pepper about three minutes until onion is translucent.
• Add the broth, saffron, tomato paste, hot pepper, reserved marinade and the chicken and simmer for about three minutes.
• Add the rice and stir just enough to cover the rice with liquid.
• If the rice is not covered, add enough wine to cover.
• Simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked, about thirty minutes.
• If necessary, add additional broth and/or wine.
• When the chicken is almost done, warm the peas.
• When the rice is cooked, remove from heat and garnish the dish with the peas and roasted red pepper strips.

Steps:

• Cut the chicken into 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings, 2 wing tips, a back piece, and 4 breast pieces. Reserve the neck, back, and wing tips for stock.
• Mix all the ingredients for the adobo and rub over the remaining pieces. Refrigerate several hours or overnight, or let sit at room temperature 1 hour to absorb the flavors.
• Meanwhile, make the stock. Put the neck, back, and wing tips (and giblets if you like) in 4 cups of water with the garlic, onion, celery, and cilantro. Cook uncovered 2 to 3 hours, then strain out the solids and return the stock to the pot.
• Coarsely chop the recaito ingredients, then process them together in a food processor until finely minced but not watery.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, wide, heavy bottomed saucepan, Dutch oven, or skillet. Add salt pork and cook 3 to 5 minutes. Remove any solid fat pieces but leave the meat in the pot. Add chicken thighs and drumsticks and cook 5 minutes. Add remaining chicken pieces and sausage pieces and cook another 10 minutes to brown all pieces on both sides.
• Remove and set aside. Add the recaito and cook 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, then 3 cups hot stock (or 1 ½ cups stock and 1 ½ cups beer). Add the cumin, paprika, chili powder, turmeric and bay leaf and the rice. Bring to a boil. Return chicken to the pan. Stir in the olives and some salt, if needed. Reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, until all the surface water disappears (Cuban cooks say to cook uncovered until the rice is dry). With a wooden spoon, turn up the rice from the bottom of the pot.
• Reduce heat to very low, cover the pot, and cook for 1 hour, uncovering briefly every 15 minutes to turn up the rice from the bottom of the pan.
• Turn the rice and chicken onto a serving platter and garnish with the pimiento strips and the peas. Scrape up the pegao (the bottom crust) with a spatula (it will come off in pieces) and pass in a separate serving dish or scatter the pieces around the edges of the platter. It should be crisp and colored anywhere from gold to brown, but not burned.

Steps:

• Cut chicken breasts into bite size cubes. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin; set aside.
• Heat chicken broth.
• In an large iron pot put 2 tablespoons corn oil; add chicken breasts and fry until brown.
• Don't cook the chicken completely. Take chicken out and set aside.
• To the same pot add 2 tablespoons of oil and add chopped onions, garlic and green peppers. Sauté until onions are soft about 3 minutes. Add pearl rice and sauté for about 2 minutes to seal the rice.
• Start adding your liquid 1/2 cup of broth and 1 bottle of beer.
• When rice has absorbed the liquid, repeat step--1/2 cup of chicken broth and one bottle of beer; continue until rice is soft, stirring constantly after each addition of liquid.
• Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt.When rice is almost cooked, add your chicken breast back into pot.
• Continue to cook until rice it fully cooked. Rice should be wet not dry. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, and 1 tsp oregano.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven oven medium-high heat.
• Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
• Add in the chicken and brown on all sides.
• Remove the chicken from the pan; drizzle with lime juice, cover; keep warm.
• Add in the chopped onion, bell pepper, crushed chili flakes and chopped garlic to the pan, saute over medium heat until tender (about 5 minutes).
• Stir in 1/2 tsp oregano, tumeric and cumin; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Stir in the rice and ham, cook 1 minute; increase heat to medium.
• Add in the chicken broth and tomatoes (with the liquid); bring to a boil.
• Add in the chicken (nestling into the rice mixture); cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 18 minutes, or until the liquid is almost absorbed.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Stir in the peas; cover and cook for 3 minutes.
• Remove from the heat; let stand uncovered for 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle with olives.

Steps:

• Rinse chicken, pat dry. Place chicken breast up in foil-lined shallow roasting pan. In mortar, place garlic, salt, oregano and black pepper, mash them well together. Mix garlic mixture with butter and lemon juice. With your fingers, carefully separate skin from breast, massage 1/2 of mixture gently between breast and skin, then spread the remaining mixture evenly over the whole chicken. Tuck wings under and tie legs together. The chicken will taste better if marinated overnight.
• Place pan in center of rack and cook for 55 minutes at 350° F, basting occasionally. Cook uncovered at 400° F for 5-7 minutes.