Chicken and Rice, Lation style

Ingredients:
• 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
• 8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs (3 ½ pounds) trimmed of excess fat and skin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 small green pepper, chopped fine
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
• 8 ounce can tomato sauce
• 14 ounce can low sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 cups medium grain rice
• 1/2 cup manzanilla olives, halved and pitted
• 1 tablespoon capers
• lemon wedges for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Using spatula, mix until paste forms. Add oregano, 1 tablespoon vinegar and ½ teaspoon pepper, stir to combine. Place chicken in marinate and coat, set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, green pepper and pepper flakes, cook until soft. Add ½ of the cilantro leaves and stir. Push vegetables to half side of pot and increase heat to medium high. Add chicken to pot, skin side down in even layer in center of pot. Cook until chicken is opaque (2 to 4 minutes). Add tomato sauce, broth and water. Stir to combine. Bring to simmer, cover and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add rice, olives, capers and ¾ teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer, cover and place pot in oven. After 10 minutes, remove pot from oven and stir chicken and rice from bottom up.. return pot to oven and after 10 minutes stir once and add water. Cover and return pot to oven. Cook until rice absorbs all liquid and is tender and chicken is 175 degrees, about 10 minutes.

Using tongs, remove chicken and set pot aside. Remove chicken skin using 2 spoons, pull meat off bones into large chunks. Using fingers, remove fat and veins from chicken pieces. Place chicken in large bowl and add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar, cilantro and pimentos; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place chicken pieces back in pot on top of rice, cover and allow meat to warm for 5 minutes.

Serve with lemon wedges as garnish.