Cookin’ on Hwy. 1
Tim Acosta thinks of arroz con pollo as the well-traveled cousin of jambalaya. The recipe — which some sources trace back to Africa — is a classic comfort food in Spain; in many Latin countries, including Cuba, Puerto Rico and Panama; and throughout the Caribbean.
“Just like down here in South Louisiana, rice is popular everywhere,” said Tim Acosta, Director of Advertising and Marketing. And just as jambalaya styles vary — think red vs. brown — so do the ways of making arroz con pollo. The dish changes from country to country and house to house, with home cooks putting their own spin on it.
And that’s exactly what Tim has done — taken a classic and made it his own.
He and his wife, Cindy, have traveled to Spain several times — his ancestors hail from Spain, by way of the Canary Islands, and eventually South Louisiana. But it was during their first trip there as a family that they all tasted paella for the first time — a dish Tim later mastered and now makes for big family gatherings and celebrations.
At home, though, he wanted something simpler and quicker to cook for just him and Cindy. So he explored different arroz con pollo recipes and adapted them to suit their tastes.
“Arroz con pollo has a lot of the flavors of paella,” Tim said, noting that he uses Goya Adobo All-Purpose Seasoning and a Latin American spice blend called sazón. Sazón is the principal seasoning — and source of color — for dishes like arroz con pollo and arroz amarillo (yellow rice). There is a saffron version that brings a more delicate, floral note, for paella-style rice or seafood dishes. Tim uses both.
To make the dish, he seasons boneless chicken thighs — rather than the traditional bone-in pieces — with salt, pepper, adobo and oregano, and puts them aside. Then he pulls out his 12-inch cast-iron skillet and browns the sausage in a little bit of olive oil (traditional arroz con pollo does not use sausage, but Tim does). He removes the sausage. The he adds the chicken thighs. While those are browning, he chops a sofrito of cilantro, onions, red bell pepper, garlic and a green jalapeño “to kick it up a little bit.” (Think of a sofrito as the Latin cousin of our trinity.) He removes the chicken from the pot, and cooks the sofrito until it is tender. He adds Rouses Diced Tomatoes with Chiles and lets that simmer together. Then he returns the sausage and chicken to the pan and adds the sazón and jasmine rice, which he stirs and cooks for a few minutes. Then he adds the chicken stock and lets it come to a simmer; he then covers the skillet and lets it cook until the rice is tender and much of the liquid is absorbed.
Some folks like to add olives but, when it is done cooking, Tim prefers to toss peas on top, and add a squeeze of fresh lime and a sprinkle of cilantro leaves.
The leftovers are ideal for quick weeknight meals. Refrigerate them in a heatproof container with a lid and you can easily reheat the dish in a 350°F oven (let glass and ceramic containers come down to room temperature before placing in a hot oven).
Bonus: Want to make your own sazón? You can get close using spices you likely have on hand. In a small bowl, combine ½ tablespoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin and ground turmeric; 1 tablespoon each of fine salt and sweet paprika (or ground achiote powder, if you have it); and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix well and store in an airtight container where you keep your other spices.
