Asopao de Pollo (Chicken and Rice Pottage)

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that we didn’t publish our usual weekly post last week. I apologize for that, and there was a reason for it: I was traveling.

More on that later, but for now I hope that this recipe for Asopao de Pollo (Chicken and Rice Pottage) — a very popular Dominican dish — will make up for my temporary absence.

Years ago, possibly the first year writing this blog, I published a recipe for Asopao de Camarones (Rice and Shrimp Pottage) that I called a “generic” recipe. I thought it would be easy for our readers to just adapt the recipe to other meats on their own. I was wrong.

I guess I was making the same mistake many mothers make when they tell their children to add “un chin de esto y un chin de aquello” (a little of this and a little of that). OK, lesson learned, I need to write a proper recipe.

Next week I’ll write about my trip, if you’ve been following me on Instagram, you probably know about it. I have lots of great memories, beautiful pictures and amazing food to share with you.
Buen provecho!

Aunt Clara

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Asopao de Pollo (Chicken and Rice Pottage) Recipe

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Asopao de Pollo (Chicken and Rice Pottage) Recipe: Served on chilly days, or as a quick, inexpensive dish for informal get-togethers, it is a favorite.

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Clara Gonzalez

Ingredients

• 3/4 gallon of water
• 3 lb of chicken , boneless and cut into small pieces.
• 3 teaspoons of salt
• 1/4 teaspoons of pepper
• 1 tablespoon of bitter orange juice (optional)
• 2 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil (canola, corn or peanut)
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 4 large tomatoes , chopped
• 1 bell pepper , chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of dry oregano
• 1 large carrot , diced
• 1/4 cup of peas
• 1 lb auyama (West Indian pumpkin), diced
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• 2 cups of long grain rice
• 2 tablespoons of bitter orange vinegar , or spicy sauce (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Boil the water in a covered pot over very low heat.
2. Season the chicken with 1.5 teaspoon of salt, pepper and bitter orange juice.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat in a 3/4 qt [3 lt] pot. Add sugar and heat until it turns golden brown. Add chicken and stir to brown all over. Be careful with splatters.
4. Cover the pot in which you are cooking the chicken and simmer over medium heat. Stir frequently to cook evenly for 5 minutes. Add a tablespoon of water should it become necessary to prevent it from burning.
5. Add garlic, tomato, bell pepper, oregano, carrot, peas, auyama and stir to mix.
6. Pour in half the water from the other pot into the pot with the chicken. Add tomato sauce and rice. Stir to mix well and cover the pot.
7. Simmer, stirring often to avoid the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot, add water from the pot as it becomes necessary to maintain the same level.
8. Once the rice has doubled in size, and the grains have opened, season with the remaining salt, or to taste, bitter orange vinegar and parsley. Remove from the heat. It should have turned into a thick soup. If you find it to be too dry, stir in more water from the other pot. Consistency is a matter of taste.