Arroz Con Pollo Peruano - Paella Style

This is not exactly Peruvian style "Arroz Con Pollo". However, it is inspired by recipes for this dish from Peru and is not too different in flavor from the typical recipe. One main difference is I'm using arborio rice instead of a long grain rice that might be more typical for this dish, and I'm  making it in a paella pan instead of doing it in a larger covered stock pot or similar vessel. Also, there are some ingredients not available here in suburban NJ, like the typical aji amarillo from Peru. I'm doing what I can to make something similar, given the ingredients available at the local grocery stores.

Here's what I did - many apologies to those who feel this is far from the "real thing". It seemed to have some flavors I remember from growing up in Peru, at least. I have taken some photos of the process.
Ingredients

• 4 lbs. of chicken thighs and legs, skin on
• 2 small yellow onions, chopped into 1 cm square pieces, approximately
• 2 green bell peppers, julienne cut
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• about two bunches of cilantro
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 7 cups chicken stock
• 2 bags frozen peas
• 1 bag frozen corn
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers
• 1 lemon
• 4 cups of dark beer
• 5 cups of arborio or paella rice

Preparation
pull cilantro about two cups of tightly packed cilantro leaves from their stems and liquefy them in a blender with the cumin and some water. Squeeze a little lemon in it to help maintain the color.  Julienne the green peppers, and finely chop or mince the jalapeno peppers (remove seeds, stem, and channels first). Mince or press the garlic cloves.
Cooking
The quantities work for an 18 inch (46 cm) paella pan. Note that you can adjust by using the handles as an indicator. The rice should be about 1/2 in volume of the liquid that was added to bring the level of liquid up to the handles of the pan. The right amount of rice should make a "sand-bar" of rice along the diamter of the pan, as described below.
Place chicken in a hot paella pan on high heat to brown for 15 minutes. For the last few minutes of browning, add some black or dried red pepper to taste. This should not be a hot dish - only a little bit spicey, and the jalapenos to be added later are fairly hot, so be conservative in the addition of pepper at this stage. Once the chicken has browned sufficiently, add the onions. Continue to sautee until onions are translucent. Add the bell peppers, jalapeno, and garlic, and sprinkle some lemon juice over them. Continue to sautee for a few minutes. At this stage, most of what is stuck to the bottom of the pan should release from the bottom with a little encouragement from a spoon or spatula. Add 2 cups of dark beer, 7 cups of chicken stock, and one half of the cilantro cumin mixture. This should fill the pan to the level of the handles. Stir gently to mix everything. Raise the temperature to bring the liquid to a boil, then drop the temperature to maintain a simmer for about 25 minutes.
To add the rice, make a "sand-bar" of rice the runs along the diameter of the paella pan that is about 3-4 fingers wide and rises about 1 finger above the level of the liquid in the pan. Raise the heat to bring the liquid to an angry boil. Keep the heat high and the boil rolling for about 5-8 minutes. Stir and check to make sure the rice is not burning on the bottom of the pan. When the rice starts to release some starch, swell a little, and rise to the surface, drop the heat to a minimum. Now is when you may unintentionally burn the rice. Keep the temperature low so that the total time after you add the rice is about 20 minutes, i.e. about another 12-15 minutes. If the pan seems to be getting very dry or you notice burning on the bottom, turn the heat off entirely for a few minutes, then turn it back on at the minimum level. If the dish seems to be too wet, keep the heat on low, but maybe raise it a little to allow it to continue to evaporate and dry out at a faster rate.
Turn the heat off and allow the dish to cool for a few minutes. Serve immediately.
I serve this dish like a paella, placed in the center of the table, so guests may serve themselves directly from the pan.