Rice and Chicken Gizzards [Video+Recipe] Locrio de Molleja de Pollo

Locrio de molleja de pollo (rice and chicken gizzards) is an incredibly flavorful dish, you'll be surprised how much you might enjoy it.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken gizzards ([0.9 kg] (cleaned, see tips above the recipe))
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt ((or to taste, divided))
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked (or to taste, divided))
• 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano (dry, ground, divided)
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 bell peppers (or cubanela (cubanelle) peppers)
• 1 small red onion (cut into slices)
• 1/2 teaspoon mashed garlic
• 4 plum tomato (cut into quarters)
• 1/4 cup pitted green olives ((optional))
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 4 sprigs parsley (minced)
• 1 cilantro ancho ((culantro leaf, sawtooth coriander lef), optional)
• 4 cups long-grain rice

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- 1. Boiling gizzards ---
2. 2Boiling gizzards: Add the chicken gizzards to a large pot and 1 quart [1 liter] of water. Add a tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of oregano, and the bay leaf. Boil until the gizzards become very tender, which can be 60 90 minutes, add water if it becomes necessary to prevent it from drying out. A pressure cooker or Instant pot speeds up this step to about 20 - 30 minutes.Separate the gizzards from the liquid (set both aside).
3. 3--- 2. Browning the gizzards ---
4. 4Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 2 gallon [8 liter] capacity heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven.Add the gizzards and cook stirring (beware of oil splatter) until they're lightly browned.
5. 5--- 3. Sautéing vegetables ---
6. 6Sautéing: Stir in bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring until the onion becomes translucent. Stir in tomatoes, olives, a teaspoon of oregano, and the tomato sauce.
7. 7--- 4. Heating liquids ---
8. 8Add 4 cups of the liquid from boiling the gizzards; if there isn't enough liquid, complete with fresh water. Add parsley and cilantro ancho. Taste and season the liquid with salt and pepper to taste.⚠️ In the end, the rice will have the same saltiness as the liquid in the rice at this point.Simmer until it breaks the boil.
9. 9--- 5. Cooking rice ---
10. 10Cooking rice: Once the liquid is boiling, add the rice and simmer. Stir frequently to prevent it from sticking.When almost all the liquid has evaporated, cover with an airtight lid and cook over low heat. After 15 minutes, uncover and stir, so that the rice at the bottom is redistributed to the top.Cover again and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste the rice, it should be firm, but cooked through. If necessary, cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
11. 11--- 6. Serving ---
12. 12Serving: Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and immediately place it in a serving bowl. Discard the bay leaf.Remove the concon, and serve on the side.