ASOPAO DE POLLO (PUERTO RICAN CHICKEN AND RICE STEW)

ASOPAO DE POLLO (PUERTO RICAN CHICKEN AND RICE STEW) image

Yield 8 people

Number Of Ingredients 35

Sofrito
8 cloves garlic
1 onion
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 pound ham (as in ham steak, trim out the fat and
skin, save the bone for cooking beans or other soups)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Achiote paste or 1 envelope Sazon Goya with achiote (you can find
it at the Hispanic aisle in your supermarket by the
bouillon)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons vinegar
Stock:
3 pounds chicken (1 whole chicken, cut in parts)
9 cups water
1 onion, cut in half
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 carrot
2 bay leaves
2 bouillon cubes (optional)
To assemble the asopao:
2 yautias (taro root) or small yellow potatoes
1 carrot, chopped
1 cup of rice
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 cup olives (pitted or stuffed with red bell
peppers)
6 cups chicken broth
Garnish (optional)
1 cup petit pois, cooked or asparagus spears
2 roasted red peppers
1 cup parmesan cheese

Steps:

For the sofrito: Roughly chop the garlic, onion, ham, bell pepper and sweat them in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the tomato paste, achiote paste or sazon goya, oregano, salt, pepper, and vinegar cook for about 5 more minutes. Once cooked, puree it in the blender or food processor. Make the stock and cook the chicken: Cook the chicken in 9 cups of water, and the rest of the stock ingredients except the taro roots or potatoes and chopped carrot. Cook for 30 minutes. Be careful not to boil or the chicken will get stringy. Once its cooked, take out the onions and the garlic. At this time you can shred the chicken. Make the asopao: Return the chicken to the stock and add the taro root or potatoes cut in 1/2 inch pieces, the carrots, capers, olives, sofrito, and the rice (which has been previously soaking in water for 30 minutes.) Cook the asopao for about 25-30 minutes. Serve with garnishes.