Locrio

After my brother taught me to make La Bandera, I began to seek out other Dominican dishes from the DR. I found this recipe here and I am so glad I made it! I served it with fried plantains. I found the recipe here.

Locrio
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2½ cups rice
1 tsp garlic paste
¼ tsp oregano powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tbsp adobo seasoning
¼ cups Mojo criollo  
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp tomato bouillon with chicken flavor 
1 tbsp tomato paste
2-3 sprigs of cilantro
2 tbsp olives and capers
3 cups water

HOW TO PREPARE:
Wash and dry your chicken. Put in a bowl. Stir in the garlic paste and the oregano. Add the adobo, mojo criollo, and the onion powder. Stir this all well and let it marinate for at least an hour (Overnight is better) in the refrigerator.

Take the chicken out of fridge and bring to room temperature. When ready, heat up your electric skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tbs of oil. Add the tsp of sugar. We want the sugar to caramelize, it gives the chicken a nice golden color and won't leave a sweet taste on the chicken. When the sugar has caramelized immediately add the chicken. Put the chicken in 1 layer and don't move it around. Let the chicken fry and get browned. Flip the chicken over and allow the other side to brown. Add 3 tbsp of water, which will braise the chicken and bring out the flavors. When the water evaporates, add 3 more tbsp of water and wait for it to evaporate. You don't want the chicken to overcook and fall apart.

It is time to season the water. Add 1/2 cup water. Make sure you scrape down those sides. To the water add 1 tbsp of tomato paste and some cilantro. Add the chicken bouillon powder. Mix it in well, but do this gently.

Continue on now by adding the olives and capers. I don't like olives, so I just put in capers. Add the rest of the water (2 1/2 cups) bring the water to a full boil. While the water comes to a boil, take your rice and rinse it a few times under running water. Set the rice aside. When the water is boiling, then add the rice. Add the last tbsp of oil. Now it's the waiting game. We will wait for the rice to absorb all the liquid. Don't stir at all.

Once the water has been absorbed, lower the heat, and take a piece of foil and place it on top of the skillet. Continue by putting the cover. Let it cook slowly about 35-40 minutes. If the rice isn't cooked through, add some more water and repeat the steps. I had to do this once. Serve this arroz con pollo with some beans and a side of fried plantains.

La Bandera (The Flag) Dominican Specialty

My brother served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Dominican Republic. He ate this meal almost every day (without the chicken) and he raved about how delicious it was. During my trip to OK, I asked him to teach me. It took us a couple of hours to make this meal but the results were sumptuous!

La Bandera (The Flag)

5lb chicken breasts

Soy sauce 

2-3 cans Goya red beans, undrained

1 bulb garlic

1 Anaheim pepper

Cilantro

Knorr chicken bouillon

1 package Shallots (3-4 count)

Garlic paste

Brown sugar

Maggi Sazón Completo

Rice

Avocado

Bananas

First: peel and crush garlic - my brother uses a mortar and pestle to crush the garlic. It takes some time to crush it. I also use this mincer to mince the garlic - which is MUCH easier than the pilón. Cut off top of Anaheim pepper. Tap pepper upside-down to remove seeds. Slice and dice Anaheim pepper. Peel shallots. Slice and dice shallots. Put garlic, pepper, and shallots in a bowl and stir them up. Stir in two tablespoons of chicken bouillon and a little Sazón Completo.

This is the mortar and pestle (pilón) that Coulter bought in the DR.

Chicken Bouillon 

Maggi Sazón Completo modeled by my son, Silas. 

Cut fat off from chicken breasts. Cut chicken into inch-sized chunks. Put chicken in large bowl and cover with water and 1/3-1/2 cup of soy sauce. Crack some pepper on top of the chicken. Stir. If you have some garlic paste, stir in two tablespoons. 

Cook two cups of rice with four cups of water. Add two tbsp of olive oil and 1-2 tsp salt to the water. Add 2-3 tbsp of chicken bouillon to water. Boil water until water level is equal with rice, stirring occasionally. Turn to low and cover with lid. Cook for 30-45 minutes.

***Another option is to use your rice cooker. Put in 2 cups of rice and add 3 1/2 cups of water. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and 1-2tsp salt. Stir in 2-3 tbsp of chicken bouillon to the water. I will sometimes add a spoonful of the garlic/pepper/shallot mixture to the rice. Then push the button for cooking rice. This is much easier than on the stove top. 

In a large skillet, put two tbsp olive oil. Turn to medium-high heat. Add most of the garlic, pepper, and shallot mixture to the skillet. Brown until tender. Add cans of red beans (undrained) and then fill up one can of beans halfway with water and stir that in. Sprinkle in some salt and some Sazón Completo. Stir in a cilantro bunch - don't cut it, just put it in as it is. Cover with a lid and wait for it to come to a boil. After it begins to boil, use a flat-bottomed cup to smash the beans for 3-5 minutes. Cover with a lid. Wait ten minutes and then repeat smashing the beans. Wait another ten minutes and repeat. Remove bunch of cilantro from pan and throw away. 

***Another option for making the beans is to follow the instructions above, except you take one can of the red beans, undrained, and put in a food processor. After you take the cilantro out of the beans, stir in the processed beans. This way you can omit smashing the beans like the above instructions. 

In a large electric skillet, thinly coat the bottom with olive oil. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the oil. Cook brown sugar and oil on 350 degrees for five minutes or until brown sugar turns black and begins smoking. Grab a handful of the chicken from the bowl, letting the marinade run off a little, and put in electric skillet to form a single layer. Sprinkle with brown sugar. You can add a tablespoon or two of the garlic, pepper, shallot mixture to the chicken. Flip over chicken to cook on both sides. Sprinkle more brown sugar on top of chicken. PLEASE NOTE: if you put the lid of the electric skillet on while the chicken is cooking, it will not develop a sweet thick sauce coating on the chicken. Resist the urge to use the lid. I speak from experience. 

After the rice is cooked, scoop out most of the rice - leaving a thin layer of cooked rice on the bottom. Return the pot to medium heat and cook the rice until crispy. (Optional step)

Crispy rice. 

Finished product: rice

Sliced avocado. 

Brown sugar chicken. 

Beans. 

Slice up some bananas. 

La Bandera = delicioso!