Arroz de Cabidela — Chicken Rice with Vinegar & Blood

A traditional northern Portuguese chicken rice enriched with chicken blood and vinegar for a deep, tangy flavour.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 1h
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Hard

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken (about 1.4kg), jointed into 8 pieces
  • 250ml fresh chicken or pig's blood (from a specialist butcher or Portuguese deli), mixed with 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 litre water
  • 250g long grain rice
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to serve
  • 1 tsp ground cumin

Method

  1. Season the chicken. Heat the oil in a large casserole and brown the chicken for 8 minutes. Add the onions, garlic and bay leaves and cook for 8 minutes.

  2. Add the water and 1 tsp salt, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken is tender.

  3. Lift out the chicken and keep warm. Bring the broth back to the boil, add the rice and cook for 12 minutes until almost tender.

  4. Return the chicken to the pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the blood and vinegar mixture and cumin, stirring constantly so it thickens the rice without scrambling.

  5. Return to a very low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the rice is glossy and rich. Season with pepper and parsley and serve.