I came across a recipe for Arroz Verde, and it sounded delicious, so I decided to make a one-pot full meal by adding chicken breast and cheese. It was a great-tasting dish, full of vibrant flavors. It was well worth the prep time, and it used fresh ingredients.
The straining of the cooking sauce lets the dish be friendly to those who don’t like pieces of peppers and cilantro leaves: all the flavor, none of the vegetation.
Now, if you hate cilantro or are one of the unlucky ones who find it tastes like soap, I would suggest using flat-leaf parsley. A head of cilantro leaves is big enough for two meals, so plan another use for the other half.
Panela cheese is firm and easily crumbled; you can use any similar cheese, such as Queso Fresco or Cojita. Panela has a mild, almost sweet flavor.
Arroz Verde con Pollo (Green Rice with Chicken)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups long-grain rice
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 2 medium or 3 small poblano peppers
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper
- 1 bunch fresh cilnatro
- 1 small onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 3½ cups lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 2 11-12.5-ounce cans of chicken breast, drained and flaked
- 1 wheel of Panela or similar Mexican cheese
Directions:
Rinse the rice in cold water, draining and repeating a couple of times, to remove the excess starch. Drain well and set aside.
Remove the ribs and seeds from the peppers, then chop them into small pieces. Peel and chop the onion.
Add to a high-speed blender.
Rip off enough cilantro leaves to make 1 cup, add to the blender along with the garlic and 1 cup of the chicken broth.
Process until blended.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids until you have about 1½ cups of green liquid.
Discard the solids.
In a large, heavy skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium heat. Add in the rice and saute until lightly toasted.
Add in the green liquid and stir to combine, letting it sit until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Add in the remaining 2½ cups of chicken broth and the drained chicken breast.
Bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Let it cook for 20 minutes.
Crumble the cheese.
Turn off the heat. Fluff up the rice. Sprinkle the cheese on and cover, let sit off the heat for 5 minutes. Fold the cheese in and serve.
~Serves 4 to 5.