Li’s 7 Spice One-Pot Arroz con Pollo
Ingredients
- 2-3 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced
- 1½ tablespoons tamari or regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Li’s 7 Spice
- ¾ tablespoon cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves, dried
- 3½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- ¼ green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 cups jasmine rice
- 3½ cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
- Orange blossom honey to garnish, optional
- 1 tablespoon crushed cashews
- Fresh Thai basil, torn or chiffonade, optional
- Fresh mint, torn or chiffonade, optional
Instructions
- Slice chicken thighs into strips, making sure to cut against the grain. Dice the chicken into cubes. In a mixing bowl, add diced chicken, tamari soy, Li’s 7 Spice, sugar, half the ginger, half the garlic and oil and mix well to incorporate into the chicken. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, cook the vegetables. In a medium-large pot, add 1½ tablespoons of butter and melt. Add shallots and sauté 1-2 mins on medium heat. Once they start to get translucent, add a little more butter and the green bell peppers and dry shiitakes and sauté for another 3-4 minutes until vegetables are soft. Add the remaining minced ginger and garlic and sauté on medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring to make sure garlic doesn’t burn. Add rice and stir until it toasts a little. After 1-2 minutes of toasting the rice or until fragrant, add the chicken and stir. Deglaze the pot with the stock or water. Add the rest of butter and the bay leaf and stir. Cover pot and cook for 18-23 minutes, stirring occasionally so the rice does not stick to the bottom and burn. Serve in a bowl or plate. Drizzle the Orange Blossom Honey on top in a zigzag manner and add crushed cashews and optional herbs.
