Cuban Roasted Chicken In A Dutch Oven Recipes

CUBAN MOJO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Remove the chicken giblets. They can be discarded or saved for other preparations like stocks or gravies. Rinse the chicken inside and out and remove any excess fat. Pat dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper (the marinade has salt and pepper as well but a whole chicken needs quite a bit of seasoning).
• In a small bowl, mix all the Cuban Mojo marinade ingredients. Place the chicken in a large bowl and pour the marinade over the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange a rack in the lower third part of the oven.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in a large roasting pan. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
• Bake the chicken for 1 hour. If the breast is getting too golden, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the breast. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.
• Remove from the oven and tent with aluminum foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. Garnish with lemon and lime slices (optional)

CHICKEN AND RICE CUBAN STYLE OR "ARROZ CON POLLO"

Steps:

• Place the pot on the stove over low-medium heat and add the olive oil plant-based butter along with the olive oil to avoid the butter to burn. Sautee the bay leaves to revive the flavor.
• Add the chicken breast chunks and cook. Add the garlic, the piquillo peppers, and the olives. Season with the saffron and the yellow rice condiment. Stir and add the rice.
• Incorporate the chicken stock, the chicken bouillon, and two and a half cups of warm water. Stir slowly and cover with a lid. Let the rice cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
• As a final step add the frozen peas and the rest of the water which should be warm and no more than half of a cup. Cover again with the lid and cook the rice for another five minutes. When the rice has an al dente texture it is ready.
• Serve the rice with sweet plantains. We used frozen plantains and cook them in the oven. Add a salad using tomato slices and cucumbers. Dress with Hellman's Real Mayonnaise and Italian seasoning.
• Slice a Cuban bread and spread each slice with Country Crock almond plant-based butter spread. Bake for 2-3 minutes and serve warm.

CUBAN BAKED CHICKEN WITH SWEET PEPPERS AND YELLOW RICE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter with the oil in a large deep skillet, with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook until well browned, about 6 minutes. Turn chicken and cook until other side browns lightly, about 2 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat.
• Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the peppers and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, rice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir until the rice is coated. Pour in the broth, stir to distribute the rice evenly. Increase the heat to high and boil until liquid begins to be absorbed into the rice, about 2 minutes. Nestle the chicken in the rice. Cover and transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the rice is tender and chicken cooks through, about 25 minutes.
• Remove the cover, fluff the rice and stir in the peas. Cover and let sit to warm the peas, about 5 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper. Serve.

DUTCH OVEN WHOLE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, and chipotle pepper in a bowl. Rinse and pat chicken dry. Rub with seasoning blend, placing any excess in the cavity.
• Allow to rest at room temperature for up to 90 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place chicken in the bottom of a Dutch oven. Pour butter over the chicken. Cover.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 2 to 3 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove from the oven and allow to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
• Carve chicken and spoon over pan drippings before serving.

DUTCH OVEN CHICKEN AND VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Make the chicken: Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Pour 3 tablespoons of the olive oil into a Dutch oven large enough to hold the chicken, then toss in all but 1 piece of the onion. Add the garlic and 4 sprigs each of the thyme and rosemary. Stir to coat, then season generously with salt and pepper.
• Pat the chicken dry, season the inside with salt and pepper, and tuck in the remaining piece of onion and herb sprigs. Rub the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice from the lemon half over the bird, and then pop the lemon inside it with the herbs and onion. Settle the chicken into the pot, breast side up. Pour in the wine and cover.
• Roast the chicken for 60 minutes, then check on it: It's done when a thermometer plunged into the thickest part of the thigh has reached 165 degrees. If it's done but doesn't have enough color for you, you can run it under the broiler for a few minutes; if it's not done, remove the lid and continue to roast until done, 15 to 30 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a platter, cover loosely with a foil tent, and let rest.
• While the chicken rests, make the vinaigrette: Pour off the pan drippings, measure out 6 tablespoons and return them to the pot. (If your drippings are scant or very dark, you can still use them. Keep any extra drippings for another use.) Hold onto the garlic but discard the onion and herbs from the pot. Place the pot over medium heat, pour in 1/2 cup water, and boil for a couple of minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up any stuck bits. You should have about 1/3 cup of drippings; if they're very chunky, strain them when you add them to the vinaigrette.
• Working in a medium bowl, mash 6 to 8 cloves of the soft garlic with the mustard, then whisk in the vinegar. Slowly whisk in the reserved liquid, followed by the walnut oil, if using. Taste for salt and pepper, then pour the vinaigrette into a small pitcher.
• To serve, carve the chicken, cutting it into quarters or eighths, and arrange on the platter. Pour over a little of the vinaigrette. Dress the salad greens lightly with vinaigrette and serve on the platter or in a shallow bowl. Pass the rest of the sauce at the table.

CUBAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil until tender, about 5 minutes; add garlic and continue to cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
• Stir tomatoes, chicken, red bell pepper, raisins, olives, red wine vinegar, oregano, cumin, and bay leaves into the onion mixture; cook until heated through, 5 to 7 minutes more. Remove and discard bay leaves before serving.