Judy's Chicken with Rice

There are many variations of...

...Arroz con Pollo

Here is Judy's version:

Serves 8

5 strips of turkey bacon

8 organic or free range chicken thighs, (must be) bone-in and skin-on

black pepper

1 Tbs. (15 ml) ground cumin

1/2 Tbs. (7,5 ml) coriander

0live oil for sautéing

1 cup (240 ml) chopped white onion

2 finely chopped organic celery stalks

1 organic red bell pepper, chopped

10 mashed cloves of garlic

3 1/2 cups (940 g) organic chicken broth

1 12-ounce (180 ml) bottle of beer

1 8-ounce (120 g) organic tomato sauce

1 tsp. (5 ml) Bijol powder or ground achiote seeds

1 bay leaf

2 tsp. (10 ml) each: oregano and ground cumin

pinch of black pepper

3 1/2 cups (940 ml) arborio or valencia rice

1/2 cup (120 ml) frozen organic green peas

3-4 threads of crushed saffron

1.  Sauté the bacon in a large frying pan.

2. Reduce the heat to low and cook about 10 minutes.

3. Season the chicken with pepper and cumin.

4. Remove the bacon (save), increase the heat to medium-high, add the chicken to the bacon fat.

5. Remove the chicken when it is browned on both sides.

6. Add a little oil to the pan; sauté onions and bell pepper.

7. Add the garlic for 1-2 minutes.

8. Pour the broth and beer into a large covered pot.

9. Add the browned chicken pieces, cooked onions and bell pepper, tomato sauce, Bijol powder, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, and black pepper.

10. Chop up the bacon and add it to the chicken.

11. Stir in the rice. Bring to a boil.

12. When the rice has absorbed some of the liquid, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 30-45 minutes. Until the rice is fully cooked and not soupy.

13. Toss in the frozen peas, cook about 5 minutes.

14. Serve for  

• dinner: the whole chicken pieces on top of the the rice
• a party: remove the chicken; skin, debone, and break it into bite-size chunks

Try Mike's grandmother's recipe :
http://veggiefernandezs.blogspot.com/2015/02/cuban-chicken-and-rice.html