Locrio de pollo

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1.2 kgchicken pieces
• on the bone, skin on
• juice of 2 limes
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• 1 teaspoonoregano
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 4garlic cloves, crushed

The pot

• 500 glong grain rice
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• 2 tablespoonsachiote oil
• or 1 teaspoon achiote powder
• 1onion, chopped
• 1green pepper, chopped
• 3 tablespoonstomato purée
• 2 tablespoonssofrito
• or blended herbs and peppers
• 1stock cube
• 2bay leaves
• about 900 ml water
• salt

Sometimes added

• 50 ggreen olives
• 2 tablespoonscapers
• 50 graisins

To serve

• sliced avocado
• a simple salad
• hot sauce

Directions

1. Cut the chicken into pieces on the bone. Rub it with lime juice and salt. Let it sit for fifteen minutes. Rinse it thoroughly in cold water. Pat every piece completely dry. Rub the chicken with the crushed garlic. Add the oregano and black pepper.
2. Let it sit for at least thirty minutes. An hour is better still if you can. Heat the oil in a heavy deep pot. Add the chicken pieces skin side down. Do not crowd the pot at any point.
3. Brown them well on all of their sides. Give each batch about eight minutes. Take the time to do it properly. Add the chopped onion to the pot. Add the green pepper along with it. Cook them for a good eight minutes. Never wash the pot at this stage.
4. Add the sofrito into the pot too. Add the tomato purée along with it. Add the achiote oil or powder. Cook it for about five minutes. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Locrio should be separate rather than creamy. Rinse it until the water is no longer cloudy. Add the drained rice to the pot. Stir it through the seasoning base.
5. Let it toast for about two minutes. It helps the rice stay separate. Return the chicken to the pot. Add the water and the bay leaves. Crumble the stock cube into the pot. Season the whole pot well with salt. Too much water gives a mushy result. Bring the pot up to a full boil. Let it boil hard for about five minutes.
6. Stir it once during that time. Watch until the water is level with the rice. Cover the pot tightly with a lid. Let it steam for about twenty minutes. Do not lift the lid during that time. Leave it alone for the full time. Take the lid off after twenty minutes. Raise the heat for two or three minutes. Take it off as soon as you smell toast. Do not walk away at this stage.
7. Take the pot right off the heat. Leave it covered for ten minutes. That lets the rice settle and firm. Leave the concon at the bottom. Serving it is always done piping hot. Spoon it onto plates with a chicken piece. Serve sliced avocado alongside. Put hot sauce out on the table. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• The chicken is browned in the same pot the rice then cooks in, so the fond stays behind and the rice takes it up; that is where the flavour comes from, and cooking them separately loses all of it.
• Watch until the water is level with the rice and little holes appear across the surface — that is steam escaping and means the free water is nearly gone, which is the moment to lower the heat and cover; then do not lift the lid for twenty minutes, since the escaping steam leaves the top rice hard.
• Concón is the crisp toasted layer at the base and is prized rather than avoided: after the rice is cooked, raise the heat for two or three minutes and listen for a faint crackling, taking it off as soon as you smell toast, since it goes to burnt within a minute.

Substitutions

• Coriander stands in for culantro in the sofrito, though it is milder.
• Achiote powder works in place of achiote oil for the colour.

Variations

• Locrio de camarones with prawns and de longaniza with sausage use the same method.
• Olives, capers or raisins are added in some households.
• A heavy caldero gives the most even concón.

History

Rice cooked with chicken and achiote in one pot, descended from Spanish rice dishes in the paella and arroz tradition.

Frequently asked questions

What is Locrio de pollo?

Locrio de pollo is a main from Dominican Republic: one-pot seasoned rice and chicken, Dominican ‘paella’. Rice cooked with chicken and achiote in one pot, descended from Spanish rice dishes in the paella and arroz tradition.

How long does Locrio de pollo take to make?

Locrio de pollo takes 30 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Locrio de pollo?

Yes, within limits. Coriander stands in for culantro in the sofrito, though it is milder. Achiote powder works in place of achiote oil for the colour.

What is the most important thing to get right in Locrio de pollo?

Let it sit for at least thirty minutes. An hour is better still if you can. Heat the oil in a heavy deep pot. Add the chicken pieces skin side down. Do not crowd the pot at any point.