The season 2 finale of Married and Hungry premiered this week, and the star of the show was this Arroz con Pollo. It is one of the recipes I make way too often, and yet I never get bored of it. It’s a one-skillet marvel, packed with a ton of flavor. Chicken cooked with rice in a saffron and white wine sauce, studded with olives, pimentos and green peas. Once you try it for yourself, you’ll want to make it again and again. It’s a great dish to keep up your sleeve though because it’s sure to impress everyone you make it for. Speaking of wine, this post and the season finale is in partnership with my friends over at Winc. For those of you not familiar, Winc is more than a monthly wine club. They’re a modern wine brand delivering fun and engaging wine experiences in every box. And the best part is that Winc is giving Candid Appetite readers $22 off your first four bottles of wine, plus complimentary shipping (that’s 4 bottles of wine for $40)! Just follow this link and the discount will be applied at checkout!
In a small measuring cup or bowl, add the wine and sprinkle in the saffron. Set aside and allow to steep until ready to use.
**Tip: You want to use a dry white wine for this. Something that you enjoy to drink, since it’ll flavor the dish and because you’ll have the rest of the bottle to polish off. I used a Sauvignon Blanc from Winc called Outer Sounds, which is crisp and refreshing.**
Season both sides of the chicken liberally with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. You want to make sure you season the chicken as best you can early on, so that you develop the most flavor for it in the dish. No one likes a bland piece of chicken.
Place a large shallow skillet (with a tight fitting lid) over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Once hot, add in half of the chicken in a single layer. Cook until browned on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
**Tip: The chicken doesn’t have to be fully cooked, we’re just looking to brown it at this point. It’ll continue to cook later on. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and brown the rest.**
Once the all the chicken has browned, add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until softened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and fresh (or dried) bay leaves.
Add tomato paste and cook until deep red in color, about 1 minute. Add the rice and cook for another minute or so to develop the rice’s flavor.
**Tip: Cooking the tomato paste and rice for a bit, really develops the flavors of each. Everything is about building as much flavor as possible!**
Stir in the wine saffron mixture and cook until almost evaporated completely, making sure to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet.
**Tip: Adding the wine and allowing it to evaporate is called deglazing. This does two things. It removes the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet and it cooks the alcohol out, infusing the dish with nothing but flavor.**
Stir in the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer. Nestle in the chicken in a single layer and then sprinkle with the olives on top. You can give it a gentle stir to ensure the chicken is almost covered in the liquid.
Cover and transfer to the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven, remove the lid and sprinkle the top with the peas. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
You want to add the peas at the very end because if you add them early on, they’ll over-cook and they’ll lose that vibrant green color. That last 10 minutes of rest time is crucial because it’ll warm up the peas and it’ll continue to cook the chicken perfectly.
Uncover and sprinkle with fresh parsley for garnish and serve. I like to serve this with a simple green salad on the side for a complete hearty dinner. Don’t forget to serve it with that leftover wine that you used early on.
This dish is one of those that just gets better with age. So if you don’t have company coming over, the best part is that you can make it for yourself and the leftovers will be even better later on.
Don’t forget to watch the Season 2 Finale of Married and Hungry if you haven’t yet! You can see me teaching Julian how to make this exact dish. Also, be sure to check out Winc to take advantage of that $22 discount and complimentary shipping!
**Thank you for your continued support of the occasional sponsored post on this site. They help keep the blog going, allowing me to continue to share my recipes with you on a weekly basis. I never want my sponsorships to feel forced, which is why I only partner with companies I feel very passionate about and actually use on a regular basis.**
- Larch pinch saffron
- ½ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
- 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken legs and thighs (about 8 pieces)
- Coarse salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium brown onion, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup jarred piquillo or roasted red bell peppers, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
- 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup pimento-stuffed green olives, drained
- ¾ cup frozen peas, thawed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a small measuring cup or bowl, add the wine and sprinkle in the saffron. Set aside and allow to steep until ready to use.
- Season both sides of the chicken liberally with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Place a large shallow skillet (with a tight fitting lid) over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Once hot, add in half of the chicken in a single layer. Cook until browned on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. The chicken doesn’t have to be fully cooked, we’re just looking to brown it at this point. It’ll continue to cook later on. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and brown the rest.
- Once the all the chicken has browned, add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until softened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir in the pepper and tomato paste and cook until deep red in color, about 1 minute. Add the rice and bay leaves and cook for another minute or so to develop the rice’s flavor. Stir in the wine saffron mixture and cook until almost evaporated completely, making sure to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer. Nestle in the chicken and sprinkle with the olives on top.
- Cover and transfer to the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven, remove the lid and sprinkle the top with the peas. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!
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