Rice with Chicken Recipe

Rice with Chicken Recipe

  • 1 whole free-range organic chicken (about 3 pounds)
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1½ medium onions, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, cut in half
  • 1 celery rib
  • 8 to 12 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley, leaves stripped, and stems and leaves reserved separately
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 8 peppercorns
  • Salt
  • 9½ cups water
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 4 ripe medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped or coarsely grated
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • ½ teaspoon sweet pimenton
  • 2 pinches saffron threads (about 20), lightly toasted and ground
  • 3 cups short or medium grain rice
  1. Disjoint the chicken, reserving the back and neck. Trim off some of the fat, but leave the skin intact. Chop the chicken with a cleaver into 12 to 24 small pieces. Carefully pick out any bone shards.
  2. In a stockpot, Dutch oven, or another large heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the back, neck, one third of the onion, and the carrot and cook until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
  3. Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes, until they release their juices. Add the celery, parsley stems, bay leaf, peppercorns, 2 pinches of salt, and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid, discarding the solids.
  4. While the stock is simmering, season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. In a large cazuela or medium Dutch oven or another heavy pot, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large platter.
  5. Prepare the sofrito in the same pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the remaining onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and nearly translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.
  6. Add the tomatoes and 2 pinches of salt and cook, stirring from time to time, until the tomato has darkened to a deeper shade of red and the sofrito is pasty, 10 to 15 minutes.
  7. Return the chicken to the cazuela along with any juices from the platter, add 1 cup of liquid from the stockpot, and let simmer slowly over low heat for 15 minutes, or until the stock is ready.
  8. Meanwhile, prepare the picada by pounding in a mortar the garlic and parsley leaves with 2 tablespoons of stock until you have a fine paste. Or whir them in a food processor or blender.
  9. Sprinkle the pimentón and saffron into the cazuela, letting the flavors meld for a few seconds while stirring constantly. Add the remaining 8 cups of stock, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Add the rice and spoon in the picada. With a wooden spoon, probe the pan to make sure the rice is evenly distributed.
  10. Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. Check for salt, adjusting the seasoning as needed. Reduce the heat to low and cook for an additional 8 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al punto, with just a bite to it.
  11. Remove the cazuela from the heat and immediately transfer the food to plates, letting the rice rest for a few minutes before serving.
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