PERUVIAN ARROZ CON POLLO OR CHICKEN WITH RICE IN CILANTRO SAUCE

August 27, 2018 SouthAmerica

As published in “Classic Peruvian Cooking”

Chicken in Peru is used more than beef or pork. This is in part due to the lack of appropriate cattle range land, and the economy. There are numerous chicken based meals in Peru. Perhaps the most commonly enjoyed is Pollo a la Brasa, which is rotisserie chicken and not easily prepared in most households. We have already covered Aji de Gallina, and later will detail a recipe for Estofado de Pollo, but here, Arroz con Pollo, is not simply chicken with the side of rice. Instead Arroz con Pollo is a mixture of rice and vegetables that is cooked together with the chicken in a delicious cilantro sauce.

Serves 6

Easy preparation

Ingredients

Chicken pieces (3 chicken legs and 2 chicken breasts cut in halves)

3 cups rice (use measuring cup from rice cooker)

6 cups chicken broth (use same measuring cup )

5 tbsp. olive oil

½ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cumin

1/3 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves

1 cup of cilantro leaves

1/3 cup chicken stock for cilantro sauce

1 cup frozen mix vegetables of peas and carrots

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

For the cilantro sauce

In a blender add the cilantro leaves, onion, garlic, and blend with 1/3 cup from the chicken stock leave until ready to use.

For the chicken

Quick marinade the chicken pieces with the salt, pepper, and cumin. Then in a pot over medium hot heat pour some olive oil, about 3 tbsp., and then add the chicken pieces and brown them on both sides covered. It takes 3 minutes on each side. Then remove the chicken pieces. Next over medium heat, in the same pot add the cilantro sauce and cook for about 5 minutes, taste and if needed add some more salt to your liking. Remove from heat and it is ready to be transferred into a rice cooker.

In a rice cooker pour 2 tbsp. of olive oil, then put the chicken pieces and its juice, then pour the cilantro sauce, add the rice and the chicken stock, also add the 1 cup of frozen peas and carrots vegetable mix, cover and cook as you will with white rice, which takes about 20 minutes.

Note: If the rice cooker goes off make sure that the chicken is well cooked if not mix all the ingredients and cook some more, it will all depend on how big the chicken pieces are.