for the chicken garnish:

Place the juices, the garlic, salt, white pepper and 3 tbsp. olive oil into a mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine well. This is called mojo. Place the drumsticks into a resealable plastic bag and pour the mojo marinade over them. Seal the bag and gently toss the chicken with your hands to coat. Marinade 4 hours, or overnight.

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, add the 2 tbsp. olive oil until hot. Add the drumsticks, leaving enough room in between pieces to cook. Cook the drumsticks until golden-brown all over and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove from heat and set aside for later use.

for the broth:

Place all ingredients into a large stockpot set over medium-high, except the chicken drumsticks. (If you are intimidated by the idea of butchering and cleaning a whole chicken, you can use butchered pieces, just be sure that they are bone-in as the bone is what imparts most of the flavor.) Stir carefully to combine (saffron water would be a lousy thing to splash, unless you’re remodeling in yellow). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Remove chicken from the broth and set aside. Let the broth simmer for another 30 minutes, always maintaining it at 9 cups. (If you’re wondering how to do that, just keep the level of liquid as high as the particulates that by this point, have collected in a ring around your stockpot.

Remove from heat and strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve, discard solids. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred with your hands into chunks and discard the bones. Set both aside until ready to make the rice.

for the rice:

Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear to remove the starches. Place rinsed rice into a bowl and cover completely with cold water. Set aside and allow the rice to bloom, 30 minutes – up to 2 hours. The more the rice opens up, the more tender and creamy it will be when you cook it. That risotto-like texture is one of the most alluring things about this dish. This blooming technique was taught to me by my Aunt and it really does make for delicious rice.

Bring a saucepan with water and salt to a boil. Add the asparagus and boil until the asparagus turns bright green, 1-2 minutes only. Using tongs, remove the asparagus from the boiling water and drop in a bowl of ice water to shock them. Once cool, place asparagus on paper towel to dry. This gives the asparagus a lovely crisp-tender consistency, and turns them bright green, which makes for an impressive presentation.

Place the onion and garlic into a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Drain the rice to prepare for cooking. In a large dutch oven set over medium-high heat, warm the 2 tbsp. olive oil. Add the onion/garlic mixture, along with the red bell peppers. Sauté until the onion is translucent, the pepper is tender and the garlic is fragrant, 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken chunks and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato puree and the beer, stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Add the bloomed rice and the packet of Sazon with saffron. Stir to combine and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 8 cups of the savory broth. Stir well to combine and disperse the chicken. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 25-35 minutes, until the rice is creamy and slightly sticky. If the liquid is absorbed too quickly, add the remaining broth a ¼ cup at a time, as needed. You want this dish moist, but most definitely not soup.

Uncover the rice. Arrange the chicken drumsticks in a decorative manner, then do the same for the pimientos and asparagus. Sprinkle the frozen peas over the rice and cover again. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until the drumsticks and peas are warmed through, but still vibrant green. Uncover and sprinkle minced parsley and a pinch of paprika over the rice.

Serve immediately. Traditionally served with delicious maduros (sweet fried plantains), and an avocado + tomato + red onion salad dressed with fresh mojo.