Today, I want to share with you a recipe for Panamanian style Arroz con Pollo, which translates to rice with chicken. The Cuban style of rice with chicken uses whole pieces of bone-in chicken, but in Panama we prefer to shred or cube our chicken, and we will typically use chicken breast or thighs. The recipe has a lot of prep time, but the cooking is This recipe will serve 6, but you can make the whole batch and then freeze a few servings for later.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white rice
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small can tomato sauce
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 peppers (any color), chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup green olives (optional)
- dash soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon (optional)
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and soy sauce. In a large pan, place 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 of the chopped onion, 1/2 of the chopped pepper, and the garlic over medium heat. Cook until the veggies are translucent, stirring constantly to make sure you don’t burn the garlic. Add the chicken breasts, and cook for about 5 minutes per side. Add the can of tomato juice, and once it starts boiling, turn heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 10 minutes. When the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the heat, and take the chicken breasts and place them on a cutting board. Keep the sauce that’s in the pan. Shred the chicken using two forks. Once all the chicken is shredded, add it back to the pan and mix it in the sauce.
In a large pot, place 2 tablespoons olive oil and the rice over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes. Add enough water to cover the rice and the chicken bouillon. If you are not using bouillon, add salt to the rice. Test out the water for saltiness, you want the water to taste like the ocean, but if you are not sure, it’s better to undersalt than oversalt. Add the chicken with the sauce, and stir. Bring to a boil, and when the water has been absorbed enough that it’s JUST not covering the rice, turn the heat to low, stir in the rest of the vegetables and cover. The rice will cook for about another 30 – 40 minutes, and I like to give it a good stir mid-way through the cooking process.
Image: Flickr
