Puerto rican chicken and rice

A pretty lazy dish – because you just leaveeverything to cook – and a good one to make midweek or on a Friday night. It’sreally important to rinse the rice before cooking it. Achiote paste is a blendof ground annatto seeds, cumin, allspice and oregano and can be found online(from www.souschef.co.uk and also www.coolchile.co.uk). It’s pretty essential as it has a unique taste and the annatto imparts anincredible yellow-orange colour. You do need fresh tomato sauce, not ketchup.
Portions:4
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Ingredients

FOR THE MARINADE

  • coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1½ tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • juice of 2 limes

FOR THE REST

  • 1 chicken jointed into 8, or bone-in thighs and drumsticks
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 75 g 2¾oz ham, or raw pork belly, or bacon, in chunks
  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 1 red pepper sliced
  • 1 green pepper sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 6 allspice berries
  • 1 tbsp achiote paste
  • 2 red chillies sliced into rings
  • 6 tbsp home-made or bought tomato sauce
  • 568 ml 1 pint chicken stock
  • 170 g 6oz basmati rice, washed well
  • 3 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 100 g 3½oz green olives stuffed with pimento
  • 1 tbsp capers rinsed
  • lime wedges to serve

Instructions

  • Make the marinade in a dish in which the chicken will fit by just mixing everything together.
  • Add the chicken and turn it over so it gets coated properly.
  • Cover with cling film and put in the fridge for a couple of hours.
  • When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.
  • Heat the oil in a broad shallow pan, season the chicken and brown the pieces all over, in batches if necessary so as not to overcrowd the pan.
  • (You want to colour it well, not cook it through.
  • ) Take the chicken out of the pan and set it aside.
  • Add the ham (or pork or bacon) to the pan and brown it all over, lift out with a slotted spoon and add to the chicken.
  • Put the onion and peppers into the same pan and sauté over a medium heat until the peppers are softening.
  • Stir in the garlic, allspice, achiote paste and chillies and cook for another two minutes, stirring.
  • Add the tomato sauce and stir this in, too.
  • The achiote paste should dissolve.
  • Heat up the chicken stock.
  • If you are cooking in a really big shallow pan, or paella pan, you can continue in this.
  • Many people don’t have a pan big enough to accommodate all the chicken in a single layer and still have room for the rice, so transfer the chicken (including any juices), ham and vegetables a to a big, wide ovenproof dish (the one I use for this is 30cm/12in in diameter).
  • Pour the rice all round the chicken, pour over the stock, add the thyme and bay leaves and season everything really well.
  • Put in the preheated oven and cook for 40 minutes, until all the stock has been absorbed and the top is golden.
  • You don’t need to stir the rice or cover it or do anything with the dish as it cooks (in fact it’s important not to stir it).
  • Scatter on the olives and capers about 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
  • Serve with lime wedges.
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Course Chicken / Rice
Cuisine Puerto rican