Arroz con Pollo

Some form of this dish is known everywhere Spanish is spoken. This version has a few Americanized flourishes but is based on Catalan techniques; it's essentially a simplified paella. It takes a bit of preparation (about an hour), but it's quite the presentation.

For excruciating accuracy, use Arborio or a similar short grain rice. Basic long-grain rice is perfectly acceptable, though.

• 1.5 lb boneless chicken breast or thigh
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, diced or julienned
• 3 plum tomatoes, seeded, peeled, and chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, one sliced, two crushed or minced
• 3 c chicken broth
• .5 c white wine
• pinch saffron
• extra virgin olive oil

1. Slice chicken into stir-fry-size pieces.
2. Stir-fry in paella pan with sliced garlic and olive oil until done; set aside.
3. Sofregit: Add more oil to pan and reduce to medium heat; add chopped onions and cook until translucent. Add tomatoes and continue to cook until thickened.
4. Add crushed or minced garlic, broth, and wine. Bring to boil and add rice.
5. Add chicken and bell pepper and cook 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
6. Serve in paella pan.

Sofregit -- This flavoring mixture of onions and tomatoes (the name is Catalan for "underfried" and is roughly similar to the Spanish sofrito) is the heart of quite a large number of Catalan dishes, including paella. -----------------------------312712424528146 Content-Disposition: form-data; name="userfile"; filename=""