Arroz con Pollo (Nicaraguan)

The Nicaraguan arroz con pollo: poached, shredded chicken and rice cooked in its broth, then stir-fried together with ham, sausage, piquillo peppers, ketchup, olives, capers and peas.

Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is here for the Rice section’s regional pages and is adapted from the source named in the Notes.

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 1 whole large chicken (about 4–5 lb), in 8 pieces, skin removed
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, peeled and cut into 6 wedges
• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and quartered
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1 lime, halved

For the rice

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups long-grain white rice
• 2 medium carrots, small dice (about 1 cup)
• 4 cups chicken broth (from poaching the chicken)

For the arroz con pollo

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 8 oz smoked sausage or kielbasa, in ¼-inch rounds
• ¼ lb sliced deli ham, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• ¾ cup drained piquillo peppers, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 tablespoons ketchup
• ¾ cup pimento-stuffed olives, sliced
• ⅓ cup capers, drained
• 1½ cups frozen peas
• 1 cup (2 oz) finely grated Parmesan (optional), and buttered white toast (optional), to serve
• Salt

Directions

Key ingredients

Black Pepper · Olive Oil

1. Poach. Put the chicken, onion, pepper, garlic, salt, peppercorns and lime in 2 quarts cold water and bring to a simmer. Poach about 20 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165 °F. Shred it (about 4 cups) and strain and reserve 4 cups of the broth.
2. Rice. In the wiped pot, soften the onion, garlic and salt in the butter and oil, about 5 minutes. Cook the tomato paste 1 minute until it darkens, then stir in the rice and carrots for 1 minute. Add the 4 cups broth and boil until bubbles show on the surface, then cover and cook on the lowest heat about 20 minutes. Fluff.
3. Meats. In a high-sided skillet, brown the sausage and ham in 2 tablespoons of the butter.
4. Sauce. In the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, soften the onion and piquillos, darken the tomato paste, then add the ketchup and the chicken.
5. Combine. Fold in the rice, meats, olives, capers and peas and cook 10–15 minutes. Salt to taste.
6. Serve with Parmesan and buttered toast, if liked.

Notes

Source Adapted from María del Mar Cuadra, “Nicaraguan Arroz con Pollo,” Serious Eats.

A regional version Here the rice is cooked first and then stir-fried with the rest — closer to a fried rice than to the one-pot Spanish or Puerto Rican arroz con pollo, which shows how far the name ranges.

The Rice section’s Spain and Latin America page (/rice/spain-and-latin-america/) covers the history and technique behind this dish.

The photo The photograph shows a yellow Caribbean-style arroz con pollo with a chicken leg, not this Nicaraguan stir-fried version.