| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 20 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 pieces chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Paprika or smoked sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup 2-inch pieces vermicelli pasta
- Generous pinch saffron threads
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 5 ounces thick-cut speck, smoky ham or Serrano ham, diced
- 1 large onion or 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 to 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 bell peppers, 1 red and 1 green
- 2 chile peppers, red or green, seeded and finely chopped
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large ripe heirloom or organic beefsteak tomato, cored and chopped
- 1 slightly mounded cup long grain rice
Instructions
- Season the chicken liberally with salt, pepper, and paprika, add to a pre-heated large, shallow pot with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Once browned, remove the chicken to a plate and drain off the fat. Add butter to the pot and melt. Brown the pasta 2 minutes or until golden, remove to plate and reserve.
- Place the saffron and chicken stock in a small pot and warm it up to steep the saffron threads.
- Once the pasta is browned and has been removed from the pot, add the remaining tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, and brown the ham, about 2 minutes. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, hot peppers, garlic and bay leaf to the pan. Cook 5 to 6 minutes to soften up a bit, then add the tomatoes, rice. Stir in the pasta and warm saffron stock. Add the chicken and cover the pot, cook 18 minutes, until rice is tender. Serve or cool completely and store for make-ahead meal.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat the dish in the oven until heated through. To reheat: Add 1/2 cup stock or water, sprinkled around the pan. If made-ahead and reheated, the rice will become crunchy on top and at the edges, but this can be a plus in the texture of the dish.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 690 |
| Total Fat | 41 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 54 g |
| Cholesterol | 242 mg |
| Sodium | 1366 mg |
Reviews
I made this recipe years ago, when it was first posted and loved it. Brought it back out this past weekend. It was a huge hit. This has a slightly different flavor profile from the recipe my aunt and grandma made when I was a kid, but I still love it. The saffron infused stock really makes this great!
Delicious! The family loved this!
I couldn’t find the pasta in 2 good stores. I think the ratio of veggies to rice is a bit too much.I thought it would be hot, but it wasn’t at all. I added juice of a lime. I think I’ll keep looking for a great recipe for this. My husband loved it, but I wasn’t satisfied.
My family enjoyed this meal, and I will make it again. Next time I’ll use legs only, as it was a tad too greasy for me. Next time I will also double the rice/pasta/broth but keep the amount of veggies the same. Since I’m not a big fan of them, half a large yellow bell pepper was plenty.
Thanks Rachel Ray! Tonights dinner was so delish! I will definitely make this again in the future.
This dish makes enough food for a crowd. It is only the 2 of us so I packed it in the fridge. A couple of days later we invited the neighbor up because he loves arroz con pollo. My neighbor is now planning to knock off my man so I can make this dish for him all the time! Thanks and I’ll keep you posted!
The browned vermicilli is a nice touch. Really changed the flavor. The ham steak that I used was really smoky and the jalapeno chilies picked up that smoky flavor. It was really easy to prepare I didn’t have the saffron too expensive. It was still very flavorful. Great one skillet recipe.
Loved this recipe and plan to make it many more times. Did not add the chile peppers due to a family member with reflux, but it wasn’t missed and didn’t detract from the flavor at all.
Just made this last week. It was great! I used dried chorizo sausage instead of the ham and did add some olives. The pasta was a nice addition.
Thank you Rachel, finally Arro Con Pollo without those nasty olives!! Excellent!