Recipe: Locrio de / arroz con pollo (Rice and Chicken)

Locrio de Pollo (Rice and Chicken)

Speaking of locrio de Pollo (Dominican rice and chicken), let me tell you a story…

There are some cooking disasters that nobody but us knows, secrets that we keep as if they were bedroom secrets. Others, well, those others nobody seems to forget. My most infamous ones you ask? They seem to all involve rice.

Locrio de Pollo (Rice and Chicken)

When I was 12 years old my mother, a working mom, asked me to reheat the food every day when I arrived from school and set the table before she arrived for lunch, in those times, and this will shock kids today, there were no microwaves. Also, kids were expected to do more work at home, so stop nagging your mom about your chores.

And get off my lawn while you are it.

Locrio de Pollo (Rice and Chicken)

One day she had not had time to cook arroz blanco (white rice) and she asked me (well, more like told me) if I could do it. “Yes, of course”, after all I had seen mami cook rice hundreds of times. How hard can it be?

Locrio de Pollo (Rice and Chicken)

It all seemed easy, when the water broke the boil, I added the rice, I saw mom do that. So far so good. The water evaporated and I notice that the rice was still raw.

“Hmmm… that’s strange, perhaps I should add a little more water”. And water I add. The water evaporates again, the rice is a little soggy, but raw inside. “Maybe it needs more water”. Rinse and repeat.

Locrio de Pollo (Rice and Chicken)

At lunch time we had a pot full of a substance that resembled industrial glue in texture and appearance. It probably had the same taste.

I’ve certainly come a long way, baby.

Aunt Clara

Locrio de Pollo (Rice and Chicken)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Locrio de Pollo (Rice and Chicken)

This dish is probably the Dominican descendant of the Spanish paella, and one of our most popular recipes, this locrio combines herbs, rice, chicken and vegetables.

Ingredients

4 lbs chicken cut into small pieces
4 cups of rice
5 tablespoons of oil
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 cup of tomato sauce
1 cup of cubed auyama (West Indies pumpkin)
1f cubanela pepper, chopped
1 pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
1/8 cup of halved pitted olives
1/4 cup of celery, chopped
1 sprig of fresh coriander
1/2 teaspoon of thyme leaves (optional)
Juice from 1 lime
Pepper
Salt

Instructions

Remove skin from chicken and wash under cold water.
Add the lime juice and rub.
Marinate the chicken for approximately 10 minutes in a bowl containing the peppers, oregano, garlic, olives, celery, coriander, a teaspoon of salt, a pinch of pepper and thyme.
In an cast iron or aluminum pot heat 3 tablespoons of oil, reserving 2 tablespoons for later use. Add sugar to heated oil.
When the sugar turns dark brown, add the chicken (without the vegetables), being careful with splattering oil.
Stir, cover and let simmer at medium heat for 10 minutes, adding tablespoonfuls of water regularly to prevent it from burning.
Add the vegetables from the marinade, the pumpkin and the tomato sauce and stir to combine.
Add 6 cups of water water and bring to the boil.
Taste the water and add salt to taste. Add an extra half teaspoon of salt to it (trust me on this).
Add the rice and stir often to avoid excessive sticking.
Once all the water has evaporated, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over very low heat.
Wait 15 minutes, uncover add the remaining oil and stir moving the rice at the bottom to the top of the pot.
Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
Taste rice for doneness; it should be firm but tender inside.
If necessary, cover and leave another 5 minutes over very low heat.