Best Meal of the Week: Arroz con Pollo

The first week of 2011 has been a great week for food! I made homemade rosemary crackers on New Year's Eve (recipe still needs work, but it's an easy snack). One night, we had simple sirloin burgers on a bed of greens. We even has terrific store-bought paella, but, obviously, I can't take credit for that.

The best meal I made this week was arroz con pollo, modified from Mark Bittman's recipe in "How To Cook Everything." Here's a link to the recipe: http://markbittman.com/dinner-with-bittman-arroz-con-pollo

What did I do differently? Well, I was so excited about the dish that I forgot to garnish with parsley and lemon wedges -- OOPS! Also, I didn't use a whole chicken, cut into pieces. Instead, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which was what I had in my refrigerator. Next time, I'll use the cut up whole chicken. It will probably add more chicken flavor to the dish. I also added a red bell pepper, which provided a bit of color and a nice overtone.

This was the first time that I had ever cooked with saffron, and I absolutely LOVE it! No wonder it was the most expensive spice in the world! A little goes a long way, too! Just a little pinch of it gives the rice that soothing yellow color and indescribable flavor.

I can't wait to make this meal again!