Colombia, Americas · Colombian Arroz con Pollo

Beer-Braised Arroz con Pollo with Crisp-Skinned Thighs

Name: Beer-Braised Arroz con Pollo with Crisp-Skinned Thighs
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: Colombia
Ingredients: Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 550 g; Salt 1½ tsp; Ground black pepper ½ tsp; Vegetable oil 1½ tbsp; Onion 1; Garlic cloves 3; Red bell pepper ½; Carrot 1; Ripe tomatoes 1; Ground cumin ½ tsp; Achiote (annatto) powder ¾ tsp; Long-grain rice 180 g; Lager 150 ml; Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp; Chicken stock 300 ml; Green beans 80 g; Frozen peas, thawed 80 g; Chopped coriander (cilantro) 2 tbsp; Lime ½

Seared crisp-skinned thighs baked on rice deglazed with beer and Worcestershire, the way Colombian cooks build deep, savoury flavour in one pot.

ServingsServes 2

Total cooking time1 h 5 min

DifficultyMedium

About servingsCook the chicken until the thickest part reaches 75 °C and the juices run clear with no pink. Cool leftover rice within 1 hour, refrigerate, and reheat until piping hot within 1–2 days.

Method

Pat the chicken completely dry and season both sides with 40% of the salt and the pepper. Finely chop the onion and garlic, cut the pepper and carrot into 5 mm dice, and grate the tomatoes, discarding the skins. Cut the green beans into 2 cm lengths.
Add in this stepBone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 550 gSalt 0.6 tspGround black pepper ½ tsp
Heat the oil in a 24 cm wide pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken in skin side down and cook for without moving it, until the skin is deep brown and crisp. Turn, cook 2 minutes more, then lift onto a plate (it needn't be cooked through yet). If your pot is small, sear in two batches.
Add in this stepVegetable oil 1½ tbsp
medium-high heat
Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the chicken fat. Over medium heat, cook the onion, garlic, pepper and carrot, then add the grated tomato, cumin and achiote and cook for , scraping up the brown bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon; they are where the flavour lives.
Add in this stepOnion 1Garlic cloves 3Red bell pepper ½Carrot 1Ripe tomatoes 1Ground cumin ½ tspAchiote (annatto) powder ¾ tsp
medium heat
Add the rice and stir over medium heat for , until the edges of the grains turn translucent.
Add in this stepLong-grain rice 180 g
medium heat
Pour in the beer and half the Worcestershire sauce and boil over high heat for , until the alcohol smell has gone and the liquid has almost disappeared.
Add in this stepLager 150 mlWorcestershire sauce 1 tsp
high heat
Stir in the stock, the remaining salt and the green beans, then set the chicken on top of the rice skin side up, keeping the skin above the liquid. Bring to the boil over high heat, cover, turn down to low heat and cook for . Check the thickest part of the chicken reaches 75 °C.
Add in this stepChicken stock 300 mlSalt 0.9 tspGreen beans 80 g
high heat→low heat
Turn off the heat, scatter over the thawed peas, sprinkle with the rest of the Worcestershire sauce, cover and rest for . The peas warm through in the residual heat and stay bright green.
Add in this stepFrozen peas, thawed 80 gWorcestershire sauce 1 tsp
Scatter with coriander and serve straight from the pot with lime wedges; a squeeze of lime lifts the gentle bitterness of the beer.
Add in this stepChopped coriander (cilantro) 2 tbspLime ½

Cook's tip

Damp skin won't crisp, so dry the chicken well before searing. Choose a lager that isn't very bitter. To skip alcohol, use the same amount of chicken stock plus an extra squeeze of lime.

Cooking it at camp

It's a one-pot dish made for a Dutch oven or heavy pot. Use a windscreen, and during the covered cooking put a few coals on the lid for even heat. Keep the raw chicken sealed and separate at the bottom of the cooler.