LATIN-STYLE CHICKEN AND RICE (ARROZ CON POLLO)

• servings: SERVES 4 TO 6

Ingredients

5 teaspoons white vinegar

Salt and pepper

½ teaspoon dried oregano

4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed

2tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped fine

1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

1¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

¼ cup water, plus extra as needed

3 cups medium-grain white rice

1/2 cup green Manzanilla olives, pitted and halved

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

1/2 cup jarred whole pimentos, cut into 2 by ¼-inch strips

Lemon wedges

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine garlic, 1, tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and oregano in large bowl. Add chicken, coat evenly with marinade, and set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, bell pepper, and pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons cilantro.

3. Clear center of pot and increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to center of pot, skin side down, and cook until outer layer of meat becomes opaque, 2 to 4 minutes per side, reducing heat if chicken begins to brown. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, and water. Bring to simmer, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Stir in rice, olives, capers, and ¾ teaspoon salt and bring to simmer.

Cover, transfer to oven, and cook, stirring every 10 minutes, until thighs register 175 degrees, about 30 minutes. If, after 20 minutes of cooking, rice appears dry and bottom of pot begins to scorch, stir in additional ¼ cup water.

5. Transfer chicken to plate and set pot aside, covered. Pull chicken into large chunks using 2 spoons, discarding skin and bones. Place & icken in large bowl, toss with remaining teaspoons vinegar, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro, and pimentos and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken on top of rice, cover, and let stand until warmed through, about 5 minutes.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

To keep the dish from becoming greasy, it is important to remove excess fat from the chicken thighs and most of the skin, leaving just enough to protect the meat.

To use long-grain rice instead of medium grain, increase the amount of water added in step 3 from ¼ cup to ¾ cup and add the additional ¼ cup water in step 4 as needed.

When removing the chicken from the bones in step 5, we found it better to use two spoons rather than two forks; forks tend to shred the meat, while spoons pull it apart in chunks.