Chicken with rice

Latin American-Style Chicken With Rice

Serves 4

1 chicken, about 3 pounds, cut into 8 pieces

3 tablespoons lime juice

Salt and black pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1½ cups homemade or packaged low-sodium chicken broth

1 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

½ teaspoon saffron threads

1½ cups long-grain white rice

¾ cup sliced pimento-stuffed green olives

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Sprinkle chicken with 1½ tablespoons lime juice, and generously with salt and black pepper. In a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it ripples. Place chicken pieces in pot skin side down (do not crowd pan -- brown in 2 batches, if necessary) and cook without moving them until skin is golden, about 4 minutes. Repeat on the second side, about 4 minutes longer (adjust the heat if the pot becomes too hot). Transfer chicken to a plate and, if necessary, repeat with remaining chicken. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Discard all but 2 teaspoons of the fat from the pot.

Set the oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Return pot to medium heat, add the onion and bell pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and oregano, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the broth, tomatoes, and saffron, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken with accumulated juices, submerge in the liquid, return to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer for 15 minutes. (At this stage, remove any white-meat chicken and set aside, covered tightly with foil.) Add the rice, olives, capers, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt, stir to mix, cover pot, transfer it to the oven, and cook, stirring well every 10 minutes, until rice is tender but grains still hold their shape and the chicken is very tender and pulling away from the bone, about 30 minutes.