Arroz Con Pollo

The secret to great Arroz Con Pollo is the rice. There are
many regional recipes featuring a myriad of ingredients, but if the
rice turns out gummy and sticky the dish is ruined. I have found
the best rice to use is aged Basmati, imported from the foothills
of the Himalayan mountains in India. The variety has extra long
grains, is aged for a year (the aging helps produce fluffier cooked
rice) and has an aromatic, nutty flavor.
As for spices, the simplest recipe is salt and pepper, with a
pinch of saffron or ground annatto seed added for that bright
yellow color. However, the recipe provided below uses a spice
packet used widely throughout Latin America and the Caribbean,
and reflects how the dish is prepared in the vast majority of
households where it is an inexpensive but filling and delicious
dinner staple.

Ingredients: 4 chicken thighs, bone-in/skin-on

teaspoon kosher sea salt
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced Spanish onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 large clove garlic (pureed using a microplane
grater)
1 cup Basmati rice
1 Badia Sazon Tropical spice packet
1 10.5 oz. can low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup water

Preparation: Rub salt and pepper onto chicken thighs. Add olive
oil to skillet (one with a tight-fitting lid) that has
been preheated to medium-high. Add chicken to
skillet and brown on both sides. Remove chicken
and add diced onion and red bell pepper. Saut
until onions are soft and translucent, about 3
minutes. Add garlic puree and saut 1 minute.
Add rice and Badia Sazon Tropical spice packet, mix
thoroughly and saut 1 minute. Place chicken

thighs back into skillet. Add chicken broth and

water, turn up heat and bring to a boil. Turn heat
down to medium, place lid on skillet and cook at a
strong simmer for 10 minutes. Turn heat off and let
rest with lid on for another 10 minutes. Remove
chicken, gently fold over rice to fluff grains and
serve.