Arroz con pollo

I love this recipe for soooo many reasons- It’s the ultimate comfort food, delicious, and very forgivable! Some people prefer their rice on the soupy side and others a little more sticky… and unlike regular rice, you can cook this dish with the pot uncovered, making it very easy to get the consistency that you like!

Ingredients
- 1 lime, orange, lemon
- 8 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 2 packs of goya sazon culantro y achiote
- 1 TSP cumin and pepper
- 2 TSP oregano and salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 TSP turmeric or badia yellow food coloring
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 small onion (yellow or white), diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1.3 pounds of chicken breast or skinless thighs (Combo works as well, I use a pack of chicken breast usually)
- 2 cups of arroz valencia or short grain rice (I love Arroz Rico!)
- 1 8oz can of goya spanish style tomato sauce ( I like to add 1 tb of sugar, this is optional)
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup beer or dry white wine- (I use lighter beers- stella/ corona)
- 1/4 cup chopped spanish olives
- 1TB white vinegar

Step 1: Make mojo sauce and marinate chicken for at least 30 minute or up to overnight.
Mix lemon, lime, orange, 2 tb evoo, 1 pack of sazon goya, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp oregano and salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and cumin. Add to chicken and store in fridge. (i like to use a ziplock bag to really massage the chicken!)

Step 2: Brown chicken in dutch oven or big pot, reserve mojo sauce, and set aside for later.
On medium-high, heat 2 tb of EVOO and cook chicken till brown on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

Step 3: Make sofrito.
Add 2 tb of EVOO, onion and peppers. Cook until peppers are soft and onion is translucent. Add remaining garlic. Cook til aromatic.

Step 4: Let’s cook!
Return chicken to pot and remaining mojo sauce. Add broth, remaining spices and EVOO, tomato sauce, and rice. Stir and bring to a boil. Then reduce temperature to low, simmer covered for 20 minutes.

Step 5: Check in stir!
Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to prevent rice from sticking! Stir in beer and olives. Taste the rice, add additional salt and/or goya packet if necessary.Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Step 6: Final touches.
At this point, I like to check in at least every 5 minutes to stir rice. During the last 5-10 minutes, add vinegar to complete! Side notes: You can leave rice uncovered after 30 minutes if rice looks too soupy. If the rice looks too dry, feel free to add more broth or water 1/2 a cup at a time!