Locrio de Pollo

Ingredients

• 900 g bone-in chicken thighs, in pieces
• juice of 1 lime
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 heaped tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2½ tbsp tomato purée
• 3 culantro leaves
• 500 g long grain rice, rinsed
• 800 ml chicken stock
• a handful of green olives
• 1 tbsp capers

Method

1. Season the chicken

   Rub the chicken with lime, garlic, oregano and salt and leave it for half an hour.

   30 min

2. Burn the sugar

   Darken the sugar in the oil in a heavy caldero until it smokes faintly. In a locrio this does double duty — the colour of the rice comes from here, which is why locrio needs no annatto.

   3 min

3. Brown the chicken thoroughly

   Sear the chicken in the caramel until deeply coloured on all sides, then leave it in the pot.

   12 min

4. Sofrito and purée

   Add the onion, pepper, tomato purée and culantro and cook until the vegetables have softened into the fat.

   7 min

5. Toast the rice in the fat

   Stir the rinsed rice through the fat for a minute so every grain is coated, then add the stock, olives and capers. Skipping this minute is the difference between a locrio and chicken stirred into rice.

   2 min

6. Boil down, then steam

   Boil uncovered until the liquid falls to the level of the rice, stir once, cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for twenty minutes.

   20 min

7. Rest before serving

   Leave it covered off the heat for ten minutes, then fold it over once from the bottom so the concón comes up through it.

   10 min