Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice
This recipe has been made and adapted from Levi Roots’ Caribbean Food Made Easy cook book.
Ingredients:
175 g basmati rice
3 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil
8 chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks, legs– any will work)
2 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
Salt and pepper
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 green pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 allspice berries, crushed
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cm piece of root ginger, finely chopped
1 hot red chilli (ideally scotch bonnet) sliced into rings, (more if you like it fiery, like me)
600 ml chicken stock (Perfect time to use your own bone broth).
3 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
100 g pitted green olives, ideally stuffed with pimento
Lime wedges to serve
Method:
1. Wash the rice lots, until the water runs clear, roughly three times.
2. Season the chicken with the all-purpose seasoning, salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken on all sides.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan, add the onion, peppers and garlic and saute until the peppers soften.
5. Add the allspice, turmeric, ginger and chilli and cook for a minute longer.
6. Put the chicken in a casserole dish, big enough so it can all fit in one layer.
7. Add the veg.
8. Pour the rice round the chicken, add the stock, thyme and bay and season well.
9. Oven cook for 40 minutes at gas mark 5/6, no need to stir or anything like that.
10. 15 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the olives.
Serve with the lime wedges.
Dig in with your spoon and fork and go to town.
Note: Save the bones, pop them into the freezer and collect so you can make another bine broth bath….(recipe of mine to follow.)