There is something so very wonderful about cooking a whole meal in one pot. I normally reserve these meals for when we have the whole family, or a group of friends over because the whole process is so easy and enjoyable. Instead of stressing in the kitchen, I am sitting on the couch with a glass of wine. An actual guest at my meal instead of the chef. I am actually looking forward to eating dinner just as much as everyone else because I haven’t tasted it too much along the way. I made this Arroz con Pollo for our last meal with my family and our good friends in Denver. It’s very simple, just a handful of ingredients, and cooks best in a big clay pot. Try it out on a night that you’re having a group over, or on a Sunday to have leftovers throughout the week.
Serve it with roasted vegetables and a lightly tossed caesar salad.
Makes: 6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour Total Time: 90 minuts
1 package chicken thighs (about 6)
1 package chicken breasts (between 2 and 4)
1 package chicken wings
1 tbs cumin
1 tbs paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
1 large vidalia onion, small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups long brown rice, raw
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
12 oz IPA beer, something you’d want to drink
8 oz chicken stock
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat about 2 tbs olive oil in your large, clay baking dish. Season both sides of all the chicken with the cumin, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
- Brown the chicken by cooking it skin side down first for about 3 minutes; flip the chicken and cook another 3-4 minutes. You want to keep the heat pretty high so that the chicken browns and crisps up, it should not cook completely. Remove the chicken and reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Stir while cooking to prevent food from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, until it starts to caramelize. Add the rice and a black beans, cook another 5 minutes , stirring consistently. Add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula to remove the brown bits stuck to the bottom. These brown bits are called fond- fond equals flavor.
- Add the beer and chicken stock. Gently add the chicken back into the pan, skin side up, so that it floats as best it can on the top of the liquid. Cover the pot and bake for anywhere between 60 and 80 minutes. If you aren’t in a hurry to eat, you can cook for 60 and turn the oven off, leaving the pot in the pan. The flavors will continue to develop the longer they are covered.
- Remove the pot from the oven and give everything a nice stir before serving.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy:
Cooking In Red Socks 