COLOMBIAN ARROZ CON POLLO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Prepare chicken wings by cutting off the tips (either toss or use to make broth later); separate wings into two pieces at the joint.
• Season generously with salt, pepper, and oregano; set aside while preparing the other ingredients.
• Heat broth and saffron, over low heat, in a small covered saucepan (this releases the yellow color from the saffron which will color the rice beautifully).
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven, over medium heat, and brown chicken pieces on all sides, about 8 - 10 minutes; remove, cover, and set aside (they may not be cooked through).
• Add onions and peppers to Dutch oven and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic; cook about 1 minute.
• Add wine or beer and scrape bottom of pan to remove the brown bits that have stuck onto the pan's bottom.
• Add bay leaf, red pepper flakes, rice, and broth with saffron; stir to combine.
• Bring mixture almost to a boil, then cover and put in oven (or pour into a pretty oven-safe covered casserole).
• Cook in oven until rice is almost tender, about 25 minutes.
• Nestle chicken pieces into the rice; rinse peas and carrots, green olives, and capers in a large strainer and distribute over chicken and rice.
• Arrange red pepper strips over all, cover, and return to oven until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, about 10 minutes.