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Pabellión Criollo (Photo by Voltaire Gungab)

Always in search of interesting dishes to prepare for dinner, I research international cuisines for recipes that I can adapt and add my own personal touches to. One such dish is Pabellón Criollo, the national dish of Venezuela.

Originating from the capital city of Caracas, it represents the three races in Venezuela: African, European and indigenous. Traditionally, its three components are shredded beef (carne mechada), black beans (caraotas negras), and white rice. Optional accompaniments are fried ripe plantains and fried egg.

Forewarning: This dish requires a bit of time to put together. There are several steps involved and some prep time is required. The resulting dish is well worth the effort!!

My lighter, untraditional version substitutes chicken thighs cooked in beef broth. Canned black beans are flavored with the sofrito. To add healthy fiber, I mix brown and white rice together and cook it in the broth (which is why the rice isn’t white in the photo). The brown rice needs an overnight soak in water so it will cook at the same time as the white rice. The fried plantains and fried egg will vaguely remind you of arroz a la cubana.

¡Es muy chévere! (Exclamation in Venezuelan Spanish for something that’s good.)

Serves 2 (very generously) to 4

For the chicken:

4 medium bone-in chicken thighs, with skin
2 tsp each of ground cumin, paprika & garlic powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Salt
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Dry chicken thighs with paper towels. Mix spices together and rub mixture on both sides of chicken pieces. Carefully lift and separate skin from meat, rub spices on the meat, then recover with skin. Let sit for at least an hour or overnight.

Heat oil in frying pan. Sprinkle salt on skin side of chicken pieces, and over medium heat brown in the hot oil, skin side down, about 4-5 minutes. While skin side is browning, sprinkle salt on the second side. Turn pieces over and brown for another 4-5 minutes. Set aside on a plate. Reserve oil in pan for the sofrito.

For the broth:

2 cups canned beef broth
1 cup water
1 carrot, sliced in 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, peeled and cut in half
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 whole garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Several sprigs of cilantro

Mix all ingredients together in a big pot and bring to a boil. Then lower heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Put chicken thighs in the broth, bring to a simmer, cover pot, and braise chicken until tender, about 20-30 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool on a plate. Pour broth through a sieve into a bowl and discard solids. Reserve broth for the sofrito and rice.

When chicken is cool enough to handle, peel off skin and discard. Shred meat with two forks or your fingers and reserve.

For the sofrito:

1 medium onion, minced (use 1/2 for sofrito and reserve other half for the rice)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with liquid
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
3/4 cup reserved broth
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

In oil remaining in frying pan, sauté onions and bell peppers, bay leaves and red pepper flakes until vegetables are soft. Add garlic, oregano and cumin and sauté for another minute. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire, thyme and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until only a bit of liquid is left, about 15 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.

Add about 3/4 of the cooked sofrito (reserve rest for the black beans) to the shredded chicken in a pot and about 1/2 cup broth and, if needed, more Worcestershire sauce. Simmer until only a bit of liquid is left and mixture is still wet. Add more broth if mixture is getting dry. Check seasoning.

For the beans:

1 15-oz can black beans
Reserved sofrito

Put beans and remaining sofrito in a pot and let simmer until heated through.

For the rice:

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Reserved minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup brown rice, soaked overnight in water then thoroughly drained
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
2 cups broth (add water if you have less than 2 cups)
1 bay leaf
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in pot and sauté onions and garlic until soft. Add white rice and drained brown rice, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Add broth and bay leaf and check seasoning. Bring to a boil, cover pot, lower heat and cook for about 20 minutes until rice is done. Remove pot from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

Note: If you prefer just white rice, use 1 cup.

Serving the Pabellón:

To plate each serving, spoon mounds of rice and chicken on each plate with a bowl of black beans. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Or serve the components in bowls and enjoy family style.

Accompany with fried plantains and/or fried eggs.

Voltaire Gungab is based in San Francisco and currently retired after working in advertising/marketing and editing scientific articles. A self-professed foodie and recipe hound, he follows the San Francisco food scene avidly and occasionally prepares theme dinners for friends.

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The Happy Home Cook: Pabellón Criollo