Galinhada is a delicious traditional Brazilian dish of chicken and rice. Hearty and comforting, this dish is easy to make, cooked in one pot and great to feed a crowd!
How to Make Galinhada
While traditional Galinhada was made on rustic wood stoves, with free-range hens, my version is easy, made with chicken thighs that you can find at any grocery store and cooked on your good old stove!
Yes, it is easy to make but it does require some planning, as you will have to marinade the chicken. Don’t even think about skipping this step or your Galinhada won’t be the same!
But the good news is that you can marinate the chicken the night before (or even the morning of, if you are making it for dinner).
And as for which pot to use, I used a 3.6 quart Cast Iron Casserole Dish, but you can use a 4qt (or larger) Dutch Oven instead.
STEP 1: MARINATE THE CHICKEN.
Prepare a paste with the olive oil, onion, garlic, turmeric, vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper in the food processor.
In a bowl, combine the diced chicken thighs with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
STEP 2: COOK THE CHICKEN, SAUSAGE AND VEGGIES.
Brown the sausage.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade for later.
Brown the chicken on all sides.
Sauté the onion and carrot.
Deglaze the pan with white wine. You can omit this step if desired!
Add the chicken broth, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
STEP 3: COOK THE RICE.
First, rinse your rice. While we want our galinhada to be creamy, we don’t want it to be sticky, so it’s recommended to rinse to get rid of the extra starch.
Add the rice, tomatoes, reserved marinade, bay leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper to the pot with the chicken.
Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.
Let it sit for 10 minutes, covered, before stirring the chopped parsley and serving!
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE MARINADE:
1 onion, peeled
3 garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup fresh parsley
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
FOR THE GALINHADA:
1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 (aprox. 4 ounces) calabresa sausages, sliced (substitute for kielbasa or chorizo)
1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, finely diced
½ cup white wine
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 cup white long-grain rice, rinsed
2 bay leaves
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped parsley
EQUIPMENT
Food Processor
Dutch Oven
INSTRUCTIONS
MAKING THE MARINADE:
In a food processor, combine all the marinade ingredients and process until smooth.
MAKING THE GALINHADA:
In a bowl, combine the chicken and marinade, tossing so every piece is thoroughly coated. Cover with plastic or foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch Oven, over medium heat. Brown the sausage on both sides, about 5 minutes. Then, remove with a slotted spoon into a plate and reserve.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the excess marinade for later. Add the chicken to the pot, sautéing until lightly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pot and reserve.
Add more oil if needed, then sauté the onion and carrot until they begin to caramelize slightly, about 5 minutes.
Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Return the chicken and sausage to the pot, and pour in the chicken broth. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the rice, tomatoes, bay leaves, reserved marinade and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and continue cooking for another 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked. There will still be some liquid in the pot, that is normal.
Turn the heat off and let the Galinhada rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
Stir in the fresh parsley and serve!
