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Arroz de pica no chão
Chicken and blood rice
Arroz de pica no chão: farmyard chicken rice cooked loose and dark, cabidela style
'Pica no chão' means 'pecks the ground', the Minho name for a free-range farmyard hen, and this soupy rice is how it is cooked for a family gathering in Barcelos or Vila Verde. Traditionally the bird's blood is stirred in at the end with vinegar, cabidela style, giving a dark, tangy, velvety sauce; without it you get a lighter but equally good chicken rice. Use a free-range bird or thighs for proper flavour. A common mistake is letting the rice sit before serving; this is a loose, soupy rice and it thickens fast, so bring it to the table at once. Chef's tip: the rice must be served the moment it is ready, still swimming in broth, because it keeps absorbing liquid.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ lb free-range chickencut into 12 pieces, or bone-in thighs and drumsticks
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 4 cloves garlicchopped
- 1 ripe tomatograted, skin discarded
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 7 ½ cups hot water or chicken stock
- 12 ½ oz short-grain rice (carolino)
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup fresh chicken blood (optional)from a butcher, kept chilled; leave out for a lighter version
- 3 tbsp parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the 4 tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy pot over a medium-high heat and brown the 3 ⅓ lb free-range chicken in batches for 6–8 minutes, until golden. Set aside.
16 minStep 2: Lower the heat, add the 2 onions and 4 cloves garlic and cook for 8 minutes, until soft and golden. Add the 1 ripe tomato, 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp sweet paprika and cook for 3 minutes more.
11 minStep 3: Return the chicken, pour in the 7 ½ cups hot water or chicken stock, add the 2 tsp salt and simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and its juices run clear at 165°F in the thickest piece.
30 minStep 4: Stir in the 12 ½ oz short-grain rice (carolino) and simmer for 14–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until just tender. It should look more like a thick soup than a dry rice dish.
15 minStep 5: Off the heat, mix the 3 tbsp red wine vinegar with the ¾ cup fresh chicken blood, if using. Stir a ladle of the hot broth into it, then pour it back into the pot. Return to a low heat and stir for 2–3 minutes, until the sauce darkens and thickens and is steaming hot; do not let it boil hard or it will turn grainy. Without blood, simply stir in the vinegar.
3 minStep 6: Taste for salt, scatter over 3 tbsp parsley and serve at once in warm bowls.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arroz de pica no chão take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- 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.
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