One-Dish Chicken & Rice (Asopao de Pollo)

From EatingWell: September/October 2007 — Subscribe Now!

This Puerto Rican one-dish chicken and rice stew is rich in flavor.

One-Dish Chicken & Rice (Asopao de Pollo) Recipe

8 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 Anaheim or poblano chile peppers, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tomato, chopped
1 4-ounce jar pimientos, rinsed
8 pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
8 cups water
2 1/2 cups brown rice
2/3 cup packed chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, chiles, onion, oregano, paprika and salt and cook, stirring, until the onions have softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add tomato sauce, tomato, pimientos, olives, capers and water and bring to a boil. Stir in rice; return to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the sauce is thick, the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Tips & Notes

Note: Anaheim chiles (a.k.a. New Mexico chiles) are 7 to 10 inches long, ripen from green to red and are mildly spicy. Poblano peppers (sometimes called pasilla peppers) are dark green in color, about 6 inches long and can be fiery or relatively mild; there's no way to tell until you taste them. The two can be used interchangeably and are found at most large supermarkets.

Nutrition

Per serving: 451 calories; 14 g fat (3 g sat, 6 g mono); 85 mg cholesterol; 51 g carbohydrates; 30 g protein; 5 g fiber; 635 mg sodium; 518 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (120% daily value), Vitamin A (25% dv), Magnesium (30% dv), Iron (20% dv).

3 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat