Chicken · One pot, deep flavour
Arroz con Pollo
A proper one-pot supper, built in layers: chicken legs browned until golden, a soffrito cooked down slowly, then rice simmered in saffron-scented stock until it drinks up all the flavour. Free-range, slow-grown chicken legs have the richness this dish needs and are far more forgiving and flavourful than breast.
Method
Season the chicken legs and brown them skin-side down in olive oil until deeply golden. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, soften the onion and pepper for 8 minutes, then add the garlic, paprika and saffron and cook for another minute.
Stir in the rice to coat in the oil, then pour in the sherry and let it bubble away.
Add the warm stock, season, and nestle the chicken back in skin-side up. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 25–30 minutes until the rice is tender and the chicken cooked through.
Scatter over the peas in the last 5 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with lemon and parsley.
Ben's Tip
Resist stirring once the stock is in. Like a risotto in reverse, leaving the rice undisturbed lets it cook evenly and form that prized lightly-crisp base.
To Drink
A dry Spanish white, such as a Verdejo or a crisp Albariño, is the natural partner; a chilled fino sherry alongside is even better.
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