Dad’s Chicken and Rice
This easy chicken and rice recipe, flavored with onions, peppers, and tomatoes, can be halved or doubled, making it perfect for weeknight meals.
Chicken and Rice
Photo Credit : Heath RobbinsThis easy chicken and rice recipe, flavored with onions, peppers, and tomatoes, may be increased or decreased quite easily. We should also note that it’s likely you’ll find yourself fighting for the crunchy crust (the Spanish call it soccarat) that ideally forms on the bottom of the pan.
Yield:
6 servingsIngredients
1 cup olive oil (approximately), divided
2 small onions, diced
3/4 cup flour
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 jalapeno peppers, minced
2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth
1 green pepper
3-1/2 cups rice (approximately)
3 small tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
Instructions
In a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot (cast iron works well) over medium heat, add 1/4 cup olive oil and cook onions until softened. Remove onions from pan and reserve.
Place flour and chicken in a large paper bag and shake gently to coat chicken with flour. Raise heat to medium-high. Shake excess flour from chicken, and cook in pot in batches, adding more oil as needed (it may get quite dark, and that’s okay), until well browned on all sides. Then remove chicken to a plate. Stir in jalapenos and cook 1 minute.
Add reserved cooked onions and chicken back to pot. Add chicken broth, saving one empty can. Add 2 cans’ worth of water. Bring to a boil; then lower to a simmer. Cover and cook 25 minutes.
Slice top and bottom off green pepper. Carefully run a knife in a circular motion around the inside to remove white membrane and seeds (be careful not to puncture the pepper). Slice into thin rounds.
Add rice to pot, stirring well. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Layer pepper slices in a decorative pattern over mixture in pot, and top with tomatoes. Cover and cook 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes before serving.
