Arroz Con Pollo Risotto

Arroz Con Pollo Risotto
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
About 30 minutes
Rating
4(853)
Comments
Read comments

Why should anyone raise an eyebrow if an American chef decides to combine the best of an Italian cooking technique with a deservedly popular Spanish recipe? Anyone who says this Spanish-Italian creation is not authentic need only go in search of the only authentic recipe for arroz con pollo, or rice with chicken. For the Spanish-Italian variation, thanks go to Larry Wolhandler, the owner of Painter's Tavern in Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y. He is also responsible for its unwieldy name, arroz con pollo risotto, or rice with chicken rice. But the idea is clear: the ingredients are Spanish, the method of cooking the rice Italian. The result, with a few alterations, is a handsome and quick meal that would be complemented by a salad of orange slices and red onions with a few dribbles of olive oil.

Featured in: LIFE STYLE: Sunday Menu; Spain and Italy Marry Happily

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement


Ingredients

Yield:3 servings
  • 3 to 4cups chicken stock or broth
  • 2tablespoons good-quality olive oil
  • 2medium-size onions, chopped coarse
  • 3large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1teaspoon turmeric
  • 14-ounce can chopped mild jalapeno peppers
  • 1pound boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut in fine strips
  • 1cup arborio rice
  • 6small chopped fresh plum tomatoes (or one 14-ounce can crushed or chopped plum tomatoes)
  • 5 or 6ounces peas, at room temperature
  • Salt to taste, if desired
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 servings)

709 calories; 18 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 85 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 51 grams protein; 1788 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat chicken stock and let simmer while preparing the rest of the recipe.

  2. Step 2

    Heat oil in a heavy pan large enough to hold remaining ingredients. Saute onions and garlic in hot oil until onions are soft.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in turmeric, peppers and chicken breasts and continue cooking until chicken begins to turn golden.

  4. Step 4

    Add rice and stir well until rice is coated. Stir in tomatoes.

  5. Step 5

    Stir about half a cup of the stock into the rice mixture and cook over medium high heat; stir frequently, until stock is absorbed. Repeat with additional half-cups of stock, using as much as is needed to cook the rice. The rice should be firm at its center, the mixture creamy. Just before rice is ready, stir in peas; cover, and let sit for two minutes to cook the peas. Season with salt, if desired.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
853 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

This recipe is all wrong. You can’t just throw in a can of cold tomatoes chunks on top of the warm rice! I sautee all the vegetables first: EVOO, garlic, onions, peppers, then chopped tomatoes and cook until all liquid has evaporated. Then I add the rice and cooked meat, and coat it nicely in the rich tomato sauce. I gradually add the broth that has been simmering with a pinch of safron (not turmeric) and a bay leaf, until all the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is a creamy fragrant yellow.

Yasssssssss!!!! This is a recipe that makes me feel proud of my Spanish ancestry.

Bob, there are two differences from paella. First, paella is cooked in a thin layer in a wide, flat pan. Second, when making paella, after adding the rice, you add the stock all at once, stir briefly and then let it cook undisturbed until the rice is done. If you're lucky (or good), the rice will get nice and crispy on the bottom. The texture of the dish comes out quite different from risotto: drier and less creamy. They're both delicious but different ways to cook rice.

This an easy and tasty meal. It was more like arroz meloso than risotto, tho.

Easy to make, and the whole family loved it. I swapped out bell pepper for the jalapeño. You could also add olives, more vegetables, or blended cilantro if you want to add a Peruvian flair.

this recipe gave me a stew...!...using one 14-ounce can crushed or chopped plum tomatoes was way too saucy. I should have used peeled tomatoes without all that juice/sauce crushed tomatoes come with. my dish came out nothing like the image above. kind of mushy. not happy at all.....

Private comments are only visible to you.

or to save this recipe.