Latin Style Chicken And Rice Food

LATIN-STYLE CHICKEN AND RICE

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (total). Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet (at least 2 inches deep) over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then brown chicken, turning once, about 10 minutes total. Transfer chicken with tongs to a plate.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoon fat from skillet. Cook onion and garlic with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, water, saffron, and bay leaf and bring to a full boil. Nestle chicken in rice, keeping as much rice around (rather than under) chicken as possible, and add juices from plate. Simmer, covered tightly with lid, over low heat until chicken is cooked through, rice is tender, and most of liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas. Cover with a kitchen towel and then lid and let stand until all of liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

ARROZ CON POLLO, LIGHTENED UP

Steps:

• Season chicken with vinegar, 1/2 tsp sazon, adobo and garlic powder and let it sit 10 minutes.
• Heat a large deep heavy skillet on medium, add 2 tsp oil when hot.
• Add chicken and brown 5 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
• Place onion, cilantro, garlic, scallions and pepper in mini food processor. Add remaining teaspoon of olive oil to the skillet and sauté onion mixture on medium-low until soft, about 3 minutes.
• Add tomato, cook another minute. Add rice, mix well and cook another minute.
• Add water, bouillon (be sure it dissolves well) and remaining sazon, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Taste for salt, should taste salty enough to suit your taste, add more as needed.
• Add chicken and nestle into rice, bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low until most of the water evaporates and you see the liquid bubbling at the top of the rice line, then reduce heat to low heat and cover. Make sure the lid has a good seal, no steam should escape (You could place a piece of tin foil or paper towel in between the lid and the pot if steam escapes).
• Cook 20 minutes without opening the lid. Shut heat off and let it sit with the lid on an additional 10 minutes (don't peak!!!) Fluff with a fork and eat!

LATINO-STYLE CHICKEN AND RICE AKA ARROZ CON POLLO

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F
• Place garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl; using rubber spatula, mix to make smooth paste. Add oregano, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to garlic-salt mixture; stir to combine. Place chicken in bowl with marinade. Coat chicken pieces evenly with marinade; set aside for 15 minutes.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, green pepper, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, 4 to 8 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro; stir to combine. Push vegetables to sides of pot and increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to clearing in center of pot, skin side down, in even layer. Cook, without moving chicken, until outer layer of meat becomes opaque, 2 to 4 minutes. (If chicken begins to brown, reduce heat to medium.) Using tongs, flip chicken and cook on second side until opaque, 2 to 4 minutes more. Add tomato sauce, broth, and water; stir to combine. Bring to simmer; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add rice, olives, capers, and 3/4 teaspoon salt; stir well. Bring to simmer, cover, and place pot in oven. After 10 minutes, remove pot from oven and stir chicken and rice once from bottom up. Return pot to oven. After another 10 minutes, stir once more, adding 1/4 cup water if rice appears dry and bottom of pot is beginning to burn. Cover and return pot to oven; cook until rice has absorbed all liquid and is tender but still holds its shape and temperature of chicken registers 175°F on instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes longer.
• Using tongs, remove chicken from pot; replace lid and set pot aside. Remove and discard chicken skin; using 2 spoons, pull meat off bones into large chunks. Using fingers, remove remaining fat or dark veins from chicken pieces. Place chicken in large bowl and toss with remaining tablespoon olive oil, remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro, and pimentos; season with salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken on top of rice, cover, and let stand until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.

LATIN CHICKEN RICE POT W.SALSA & AVOCADO CREAM (RACHAEL RAY)

Steps:

• Preheat a medium pot over medium heat, add olive oil and butter.
• When butter melts into oil, add cut-up chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
• Stir and lightly brown the chicken, then add the rice and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add chicken stock, poultry seasoning, Sazon or fajita seasoning & tomato sauce. Bring the stock to a quick boil, 2 or 3 minutes.
• When the liquid boils, reduce heat to low and cook 13 to 15 minutes, until rice is tender but still a little chewy in the center.
• To prepare the Salsa, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and adjust the salt and hot sauce, to taste.
• Next prepare the Avocado and Garlic Sour Cream by adding all ingredients to a food processor and processing until smooth. Adjust seasoning, then transfer to a small bowl.
• Stir 1/2 cup of prepared salsa to the chicken and rice mixture. Turn off heat and let stand 5 minutes.
• Serve the prepared Latin rice and chicken in shallow bowls with spoonfuls of salsa and avocado cream to garnish. Serve any remaining salsa and sour cream with plantains and corn chips for dipping and scooping.

SPANISH-STYLE CHICKEN AND RICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, garlic powder, and pepper; sprinkle evenly over both sides of chicken.
• Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan, skin-side down. Cook until skin is lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn chicken over; cook 3 minutes. Remove chicken from pan (it will not be completely done at this point).
• Add green onions and bell pepper to drippings in pan; saute 2 minutes. Add kale and chicken stock; cover and cook 2 minutes or until kale is lightly wilted. Stir rice, vinegar, and remaining 1 teaspoon smoked paprika into kale mixture. Nestle chicken on top of rice mixture. Bake at 400 degrees F until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 22 minutes.