arroz con pollo recipe

texting my mom now.

quote:

Originally posted by Jorgerunfast:
texting my mom now.

a mom recipe! those are always the best. thanks man! and big ups for your mom being able to text. my mom would think her phone had artificial intelligence if I tried to text her.

Looking forward to poaching the recipe as well - we are in need of some new dishes. Thanks in advance Glenn and Jorge!

the big question is what kind of rice you guys use?

the short and medium grain white rice comes out way too mushy.

Jorge,

I'd love to have that recipe too. Nothing like great arroz con pollo...

+1
A lot of people counting on your mom, Jorge.
No pressure

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
the big question is what kind of rice you guys use?

the short and medium grain white rice comes out way too mushy.

Calasparra

Can't wait for the recipe.
Jorge: Nothing like a mom who texts recipes!

Ah..... Mom Recipes. I wish I'd gotten my mom's when I still had time. She had a special earthenware lidded pan that she used only to make this dish. She swore that the container was as important as the recipe. Having had this dish a hundred times from the same crock, I can't argue...

PH

Calasparra

sigh ... 14$ for a single pound of rice

is just highway robbery

So here's the deal, my mom makes (honest to god) the best arroz con pollo I've ever had.

AcP is a very traditional Cuban dish, and I probably had it once-a-week growing up.

My mom leans towards the "soupy" / "wet" style, which I prefer.

I know she wings it a bit every time, and doesn't follow a specific recipe, but here's the copy and paste from the email she sent me (yes, she texts AND emails!):

Jorgie, (yes, she calls me Jorgie. It's usually "Jorgito", but I guess she was feeling extra-Englishy yesterday)

I forgot to send it earlier.

I don't have my recipe written, but this and this have pretty much what I include and do.

I do use beer.

The second link (Big Fat Cuban...) has many other Cuban recipes that I have tried and liked.

Good luck!

Love you, Mom


Because you all have inspired me, I'm going to set up a date with mom this weekend, and have her come over and cook AcP with me. I'll take notes, and post.

Regarding rice, she uses Valencia but has used Arborio, and in a pinch has used Mahatma or whatever she had in the cupboard.

It'll be a cold day in hell before my mom spends $14/lb on rice, especially for arroz con pollo.

A personal side note when it comes to these dishes... these are rustic, homey, essentially "simple" foods.

These dishes exist because when a country is poor, or you live in a remote area, rice and chicken are cheap and available (a comfort dish for me is plain white rice with a fried egg on top). I don't believe in "fancy" Cuban food.

I don't think this is a dish where spending a lot of money on fancy ingredients is merited. This is more of a "it's Sunday, what's left in the fridge?" sort of plate. Focus more on the technique than anything else.

The sofrito is what makes or breaks this dish, so focus your energy and making sure the sofrito is perfect, and you'll be well on your way.

I'm sure my mother has never once bought a single "fancy" ingredient to add to this dish. Living where I live, I've had $4 arroz con pollo, and $20 arroz con pollo, and my mom's is the best using only the basic, normal, grocery store stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by Jorgerunfast:

Jorgie, (yes, she calls me Jorgie. It's usually "Jorgito", but I guess she was feeling extra-Englishy yesterday)

It's stuff like this that really make me miss my mom.

Thanks for the info Jorgito. Add me to the list of those who'll be giving this a try soon.

I'm going to call you Jorgito from now on.

Thanks for doing this Jorgito. I can't wait to try it.

I'll post my follow up next week

Emilio's wife also makes an amazing version of this. As Vino Me and Miami Atty can attest when we had an arroz con pollo offline a few years ago (or mayber longer)

quote:

Originally posted by irwin:
I'm going to call you Jorgito from now on.

Leetle Jorgito!

Anyway, thanks for the posting, Jorge! Links noted and added to the up-and-coming list. Much obliged.

I'm sorry, I must be missing something. Please trust me, I'm not making any wisecrack. The topic of this thread is "chicken w/ rice" right? A plain old standard, regular every-day, peasant kinda dish. Doesn't everybody got a "mom recipe" for a dish like this?

quote:

Originally posted by Maverick:
I'm sorry, I must be missing something. Please trust me, I'm not making any wisecrack. The topic of this thread is "chicken w/ rice" right? A plain old standard, regular every-day, peasant kinda dish. Doesn't everybody got a "mom recipe" for a dish like this?

Maverickito:
My mother made chicken, lots of it. And she made rice. But, it wasn't arroz con pollo, any more than Retsina is Cabernet.

Thanks, irwin. I was struggling to come up with a response, and you saved me the trouble in very few words.

PH

words are the weapons in the war of ideas.

quote:

Originally posted by Jorgerunfast:

A personal side note when it comes to these dishes... these are rustic, homey, essentially "simple" foods.

I don't think this is a dish where spending a lot of money on fancy ingredients is merited. This is more of a "it's Sunday, what's left in the fridge?" sort of plate. Focus more on the technique than anything else.

EXACTLY the reason I'm interested. Thanks in advance!

quote:

Originally posted by billhike:

quote:

Originally posted by Jorgerunfast:

A personal side note when it comes to these dishes... these are rustic, homey, essentially "simple" foods.

I don't think this is a dish where spending a lot of money on fancy ingredients is merited. This is more of a "it's Sunday, what's left in the fridge?" sort of plate. Focus more on the technique than anything else.

EXACTLY the reason I'm interested. Thanks in advance!

+1

I've made a recipe from Food & Wine before, but I'll go with one of these next time.

quote:

Originally posted by Maverick:
I'm sorry, I must be missing something. Please trust me, I'm not making any wisecrack. The topic of this thread is "chicken w/ rice" right? A plain old standard, regular every-day, peasant kinda dish. Doesn't everybody got a "mom recipe" for a dish like this?

The title translates literally to "chicken with rice", but it's a specific dish.

If you were to steam some white rice, grill some chicken, and throw it into a bowl it would certainly be "chicken with rice", but it isn't "arroz con pollo".

Arroz con pollo refers to a specific preparation of rice and chicken. It's a pilaf-style dish of Spanish decent, in which a sofrito is made as the base, the rice is flavored with saffron and other specified spices. Lastly it calls for specific ingredients (such as peppers, peas, etc).

I can see where your confusion comes from, but it's just because nobody in Spain (and later Cuba and few other Latin American countries) never thought to give it a cool name like "Paella" or "Cioppino". If someone would've called it "Amarillo" a few hundred years ago, this would all be cleared up

OK then. I guess Irwin cleared that up for me. Thanks Jorgito, for your explanation too. Your point of "steamed rice and grilled chicken" is a little bit drastic, but I can see where you came from dealing with an answer to me. I guess I asked for that. As a chef I do understand what the dish really is. I'm gonna go work in a Hispanic place tonight. I'll see what I can do to come home w/ a recipe for you.

quote:

Originally posted by Maverick:
OK then. I guess Irwin cleared that up for me. Thanks Jorgito, for your explanation too. Your point of "steamed rice and grilled chicken" is a little bit drastic, but I can see where you came from dealing with an answer to me. I guess I asked for that. As a chef I do understand what the dish really is. I'm gonna go work in a Hispanic place tonight. I'll see what I can do to come home w/ a recipe for you.

Maverickcito, sorry, I didn't mean any offense at all. I wasn't sure what your background was, or how well you understood what was meant by arroz con pollo.

Certainly didn't mean it sarcastically or belittling.

XOXO

Jorgito.

waiting on someone to say that one should make arroz con pollo healthier and change it to
quinoa con ostrich or something

NO, NO, NO Jorgito, I took no offense, sarcasm or belittling at all from your explanation. My original comment was kinda stupid. I'm seeing this "arroz con pollo" discussion in the same view as people talking about "Sunday gravy" and/or such. "Authentic" anything for me is such a goofy idea to begin with. I did also say that I thought everyone's mother had a recipe for "chx w/ rice". Italian/Asian/Spanish chx w/ rice dishes are all still "chx w/ rice" dishes, but all vastly different. Also, just 2-clicks out of anyone's mother's neighborhood is the same dish with a different recipe. Authentic?!? WTF is authentic?!? LOL. The best spicy-hot Mexican food I ever had was in Soviet Georgia. They told me that was their regular every-day authentic cuisine. Go figure.



I've never ever heard any real bona-fide, born/bred, true red/white/green, grape-stomping, spaghetti-bending Italians use the term "gravy" for anything that wasn't a brown liquid served with roasted meat and mashed potatoes.

quote:

Originally posted by Jorgerunfast:
Maverickcito, sorry, I didn't mean any offense at all. I wasn't sure what your background was...

I highly suggest that you get your butt to Otis' next CDP, Jorge, and it'll all become clear.

quote:

Originally posted by KSC02:

quote:

Originally posted by Jorgerunfast:
Maverickcito, sorry, I didn't mean any offense at all. I wasn't sure what your background was...

I highly suggest that you get your butt to Otis' next CDP, Jorge, and it'll all become clear.

Jorge, just do not ride the bus T-Bird is on, trust me. The man should NEVER be seen naked, ever.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by KSC02:

quote:

Originally posted by Jorgerunfast:
Maverickcito, sorry, I didn't mean any offense at all. I wasn't sure what your background was...

I highly suggest that you get your butt to Otis' next CDP, Jorge, and it'll all become clear.

Jorge, just do not ride the bus T-Bird is on, trust me. The man should NEVER be seen naked, ever.

His chaps are bespoke, it is all good

quote:

Originally posted by Jcocktosten:

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by KSC02:

quote:

Originally posted by Jorgerunfast:
Maverickcito, sorry, I didn't mean any offense at all. I wasn't sure what your background was...

I highly suggest that you get your butt to Otis' next CDP, Jorge, and it'll all become clear.

Jorge, just do not ride the bus T-Bird is on, trust me. The man should NEVER be seen naked, ever.

His chaps are bespoke, it is all good

Not the side I was referring to.

Sounds like I got on the invite list a couple of years too late. Or maybe not...

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by Jcocktosten:

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:

quote:

Originally posted by KSC02:

quote:

Originally posted by Jorgerunfast:
Maverickcito, sorry, I didn't mean any offense at all. I wasn't sure what your background was...

I highly suggest that you get your butt to Otis' next CDP, Jorge, and it'll all become clear.

Jorge, just do not ride the bus T-Bird is on, trust me. The man should NEVER be seen naked, ever.

His chaps are bespoke, it is all good

Not the side I was referring to.

I know. If only Gigondass was around to tell us (for the umpteenth time that Chaps, by definitation, are assless)

Has anyone heard from GA??

I spent 6 months in Panama and got addicted to their version.

Seems to be made with either fish or chicken broth and often with peas or olives.

I love arroz con pollo.

if it's got fish, it's usually considered a paella

Had this for lunch on Saturday at Padrino's in Boca Raton. Probably not as good as Jorge's mom's recipe, but not bad at all.