AI-generated image
Arroz con pitu de caleya
Soupy rice with chicken
Arroz con pitu de caleya: soupy rice with stewed free-range Asturian chicken
A pitu de caleya is a cockerel raised free in the lanes, or caleyas, of rural Asturias; its firm, flavourful meat needs long stewing, and families around Villaviciosa and Grado still cook it for feast days. The stew is often finished as a soupy rice, so the deep chicken juices go into every grain. Use the best free-range chicken you can find. The braise includes dry white wine; replace it with extra stock and a squeeze of lemon if you want it alcohol-free. Chef's tip: brown the chicken slowly and deeply; that colour is where the flavour of the whole pot comes from.
- Total time
- 125 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 4 lb free-range chickenjointed into 10 pieces
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 1 green pepperfinely chopped
- 4 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 2 ripe tomatoesgrated, skins discarded
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ¾ cup dry white wineor 150 ml extra stock plus 1 tsp lemon juice
- 6 ¼ cups chicken stockhot
For the rice
- 12 ½ oz round paella-type rice
- 1 pinch saffron threadscrumbled
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Season 4 lb free-range chicken with 1 ½ tsp salt. Heat 5 tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy casserole over a medium heat and brown the pieces in batches, skin-side down first, until deep golden all over, about 12 minutes. Set aside.
15 minStep 2: In the same fat, cook 2 onions and 1 green pepper over a low heat for 12 minutes, until soft and sweet, then add 4 cloves garlic for 1 minute.
13 minStep 3: Stir in 2 ripe tomatoes and 1 tsp sweet paprika and cook for 5 minutes, until the tomato darkens and the oil separates.
5 minStep 4: Return the chicken, pour in ¾ cup dry white wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes. Add 2 bay leaves and half of 3 ¼ cups chicken stock, cover and simmer gently for 45–60 minutes, until the meat is very tender and pulls from the bone; a farmyard bird can take longer. The thickest piece should read at least 165°F.
55 minStep 5: Pour in the rest of 3 ¼ cups chicken stock and bring to the boil. Stir in 12 ½ oz round paella-type rice and 1 pinch saffron threads, taste for salt, and cook at a lively simmer for 17–18 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the rice is just tender with a little bite.
18 minStep 6: The dish should stay soupy, like a loose risotto: add a ladle of hot water if it tightens. A common mistake is letting it sit too long before serving; the rice keeps drinking the broth. Rest 2 minutes, scatter with parsley if using, and serve.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 620 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arroz con pitu de caleya take?
- About 125 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
All i pebreEel and potato paprika stew
In El Palmar and the other villages around the Albufera lagoon south of Valencia, the restaurants that are famous for paella serve something older first: all i pebre, "garlic and pepper", a brick-red stew of lagoon eel and potatoes thickened with a pounded almond and fried-bread picada. It is rich, garlicky and gently hot, eaten with bread to mop up the sauce. Ask your fishmonger to skin and cut the eel, and handle it with gloves: raw eel blood is irritating, though harmless once cooked. If you can't find eel, monkfish or hake works well. A common mistake is letting the paprika burn; it turns bitter in seconds, so add it off the heat. Chef's tip: break the potatoes with a knife instead of cutting cleanly; the rough edges release starch and thicken the sauce.
Escudella i carn d'ollaChristmas soup with giant pasta
This contains pork (pork belly and pork mince). On Christmas Day, Catalan families sit down to escudella i carn d'olla, served in two courses: first the broth with giant snail-shaped galets pasta, then the carn d'olla, a platter of the meats, chickpeas and vegetables that made it, including the pilota, a large herby meatball. The pot simmers for hours, and the leftovers become the next day's canelons. Chef's tip: start the meats in cold water and skim patiently as it comes to the boil; it is the only way to a clear, golden broth.
Horchata de chufaTiger nut milk
Horchata de chufa is the drink of Valencia's summer, sold ice-cold in the city's horchaterías with long, soft fartons pastries for dipping. It is made from chufas, or tiger nuts: small wrinkled tubers grown around the village of Alboraya just north of Valencia, which have their own protected designation of origin. Soaked, ground with water, strained and sweetened, they give a creamy, nutty, naturally dairy-free milk with a hint of cinnamon. Valencians drink it very cold, or half-frozen as 'granizada'. Chef's tip: soak the tiger nuts for a full 24 hours and change the water once; they must be plump and soft enough to blend into a fine pulp, or the horchata will be thin and taste of raw starch.
