pat's Recipe

One-Dish Chicken & Rice (Asopao de Pollo)

Category: Poultry

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 Anaheim or poblano chile peppers, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tomato, chopped
1 4-ounce jar pimientos, rinsed
8 pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
8 cups water
2 1/2 cups brown rice
2/3 cup packed chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, chiles, onion, oregano, paprika and salt and cook, stirring, until the onions have softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add tomato sauce, tomato, pimientos, olives, capers and water and bring to a boil. Stir in rice; return to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the sauce is thick, the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.
Serves 8.

Tip:
Note: Anaheim chiles (a.k.a. New Mexico chiles) are 7 to 10 inches long, ripen from green to red and are mildly spicy. Poblano peppers (sometimes called pasilla peppers) are dark green in color, about 6 inches long and can be fiery or relatively mild; there’s no way to tell until you taste them. The two can be used interchangeably and are found at most large supermarkets.