Arroz Con Pollo – Cuban Chicken and Rice

The beauty of this dish is its simplicity but strong flavors.  Grilling the meats first and then sauteing the vegetables in the same pan before adding the rice creates such a deep flavor in the rice that carries the whole dish.

Recipe
Arroz Con Pollo:

1. The night before you plan to cook marinade chicken in 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp vinegar, 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, 6 – 8 sprigs of thyme, 1/4 cup of cilantro stems, 1 tsp oregano and salt and pepper
2. 2 tbsp olive oil heated in a heavy pot.  Brown 3 spicy turkey sausage, remove from pan and brown chicken skin side down.  Remove from pot
3. Add 2 diced medium yellow onions, 1 diced green pepper, 1/2 diced each red, orange and yellow pepper and saute 2 -3 minutes picking up all the frons from the bottom of the pan
4. Add 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp dried oregano 1 1/2 tsp hot paprika, salt and pepper and continue cooking for 1 minute
5. Add 2 cups of aborio rice and cook for 1 minute being sure to mix the rice fully in all the liquid to absorb all the flavors in your pan
6. Add 1 – 12 oz beer, 2 cups of chicken stock, 2 14.5oz cans of mexican stewed tomatoes, 1 7 oz can of salsa casera, 2 turkish bay leaves, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer
7. Add back in the chicken and sausage, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until rice has softnened.