Puerto Rican Chicken and Beans
Puerto Rican cooking has Spanish, African, Taíno (pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas), and American influences.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8
- ¼ pound salt pork or bacon, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ pound Spanish or Mexican chorizo sausage, diced or thinly sliced
- ½ pound ham, chopped
- 8 chicken thighs
- 4 cups water, or more, as needed
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Hot sauce to taste
- 4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 small head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
- 2 cups kale, tough stems removed, and thinly sliced
- 4 turnips, diced
- 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Add the salt pork or bacon to a Dutch oven; cook over medium heat until the fat is rendered from the bacon. Add the carrot and celery; sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft.
Add the onion and sauté until transparent. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds. Stir in the sausage; continue to stir while it fries for a few minutes, then stir in the ham.
Add the chicken to the pan, skin-side down, pushing the other ingredients to the side so that as much of the chicken as possible touches the pan bottom. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the water, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce, and bring to a simmer; reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add the potatoes, cabbage, kale, and turnips to the pan. Stir to combine with the other ingredients. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Shred the chicken, discarding the skin and bones. Stir the shredded chicken into the pan.
Stir the beans into the pan. Add additional water if needed to prevent the pan from boiling dry. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper as needed.
Or, If You Prefer …
If you or someone at your table insists on eating the chicken skin, you can skip step 6. Proceed straight to step 7, and add the thighs to the top of the stew after you've stirred in the beans.
