Arroz con Pollo

 TGIF! Wahoo!We've got some great things in the works for this weekend. We are making a small trip out to Lockhart, TX for some amazing barbeque and the downtown Kite Festival too! But I'll get to that in a later post ; )

This week has gone by faster than usual. Our awesome friend Joey has been in town for the week while he attends and speaks at a conference here, and because he is traveling a lot for work lately I thought a home cooked meal might be a nice change for him. 

 So I decided on Arroz con Pollo for dinner last night.

  This is more of an American take on the traditional Cuban meal. I recommend this for people who are just stepping into Caribbean cuisine or just want to try it with a different twist to it.

The original recipe I used can be found here at Realsimple.com 

(and was originally submitted by Greg Patent)

You will need the following: 

* my personal tweaks to the ingredients are highlighted next to the originals listed

• 2 large tart unpeeled apples, such as Granny Smith - I only use 1
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, coarsely chopped - I usually substitute red because they are easier to find
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced- I use two to three tablespoons of already pre minced garlic in a jar
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup long-grain converted rice
• 2 cups chicken broth-I use from concentrate packets instead of store bought cans or cartons



I hate buying broth for only one recipe to only have the excess expire in the fridge. I stumbled upon this one day in the story, and I've never gone back to regular stock since. It works great and fixed the problem perfectly.




• 1/4 teaspoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped- I just omitted this it is not really necessary

 

Directions

1. Quarter, core, and slice the apples into 1/4-inch-thick pieces; set aside.
2. Season the chicken with the salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the chicken and set aside, leaving the oil in the pan. 
3. Add the green pepper, yellow pepper, onion, and garlic. Stir well and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and apples to the pan. Cook 8 to 10 minutes more. Stir in the paprika and red pepper.
4. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, arrange the chicken on top of the rice mixture, and cover. Cook about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with the parsley. Serve hot. 

It should look like this

 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Love-Di