There is a controversy regarding whether cumin is used to make chicken and yellow rice. My family adds cumin to pretty much everything we cook. Lila, my mom, made this recipe with cumin and we wouldn’t change it for the world! If you are adventurous, give it a try. This recipe serves 6
2 chicken breasts
1/8 cup garlic infused olive oil
1 large green pepper (finely diced)
1 large onion (finely diced)
1/2 can of tomato sauce
1 small bottle of pimiento morrones
1 small can of petit pois
2 teaspoons of salt
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon of cumin (optional)
4 oz of beer
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of short grain rice
water
bijol
Mima Lila’s yellow rice and chicken is a four step process.
1. Cook the chicken in a pressure cooker so it is nice and tender. Reserve the broth for the rice. Cut the chicken breast into one inch cubes and set aside.
2. Read the instructions for cooking the California Pearl Rice – Arroz tipo Valenciano (do you want it a la chorrera – wet, or fluffy?)
Depending on how you like your rice, that’s how much liquid you will use. Use the 2 cups of broth, the 4 ounces of beer and add water to make up the difference.
We like it in-between a la chorrera and fluffy. So we use 4 cups of liquid for 2 cups of rice.
3. To color the rice. First rinse the rice in a colander, place the rice in a bowl and add a little bijol at a time, mixing in the bijol until the rice has a nice yellow color. Set aside.
4. In an 6 qt pot, sauté the green pepper and onion in the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the pepper, and the onion. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato sauce and continue sautéing at medium heat for about a minute. Add the chicken, rice, bay leaf, and liquid (broth and water).
Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and lower the heat. The rice should be done in 20 minutes. Check for doneness.
Serve in a dish and dress it with a few pimiento morrones and the petit pois.
Enjoy!