Spanish Chicken with Yellow Rice

Arroz Amarillo con Pollo

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

This is another recipe that my mother-in-law gave to me and it is one of my favorite Puerto Rican dishes.

1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
Goya Adobo All-Purpose Seasoning
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
2 cups uncooked rice
1 envelope Sazon Goya con Azafran
1 Knorr Chicken-flavor bouillon cube
1 tsp dry parsley
Pepper, to taste
4 cups water, divided
1 can (15.25 oz) whole-kernel corn, drained (optional)

Sprinkle the chicken with Adobo. In a 3-quart chicken fryer or saucepan, saute chicken in oil over medium heat until light brown; remove chicken from pan. Add butter and onion to pan and saute until soft, stirring often. Meanwhile, dissolve bouillon in one cup water in microwave. Add rice to onion and stir to coat with oil. Add Sazon Goya, dissoved bouillon cube, parsley, pepper, remaining 3 cups of water, and corn; bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until all liquid is gone. Add chicken and gently toss with rice; cover and reduce heat to low and cook until rice is tender about 15 to 20 minutes, turning rice once halfway through cooking. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.

Substitutions:

• 4 cups chicken stock for bouillon and water
• 4 chicken breast halves (not cubed, with or without bones, but skinless)
  
• 4 center-cut pork chops
  

Serve with a tossed salad, sliced avocado, mango, and/or tostones.

Sausage and Peppers

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6

My mother-in-law taught me this recipe. I made a few small changes to it, though.

1 to 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage
1 Tbsp olive oil, optional
1 large onion, cut in 1/2-inch wedges
2 bell peppers (red and/or green), cut in 1/2-inch strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Pierce sausages with a fork. Cook either in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour (turn once) or cook in a preheated frying pan over medium-low heat, turning occasionally until medium brown. Remove sausage to a plate. Using 1 Tbsp sausage drippings or olive oil, saute onion, peppers, and garlic in same frying pan over medium-high heat until tender-crisp.

Meanwhile, slice sausage diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces. Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and sausage to pepper mixture and cook until heated through. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Variation: Serve over hot cooked pasta or rolls.

To make a freezer meal: Cook the sausage in the oven, then let them cool, slice them and freeze them in labeled quart-size freezer bags. Then, cut the peppers and onions and put them in another freezer bag and freeze them. Then, on cooking day, follow the recipe without thawing anything and add the tomatoes and seasonings! So easy!

Spanish Rice and Beans

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4-6


This is a recipe that my mother-in-law taught me and I have made it the way I remember, which is probably not the way she makes it. It also happens to be one of Michael's absolute favorite meals.

2 cans kidney beans, undrained
1/4 cup sofrito
15 to 20 Spanish green olives with juice (adjust to taste)
1 envelope Sazón Goya con culantro y achiote
1 pkg sabor a jamón de cocinar (ham flavored concentrate), opt
1 (8oz) can Goya tomato sauce
1 Tbsp capers, opt
Enough water to make it saucy

2 cups uncooked rice

Start cooking rice first according to package directions and when it is done, the beans should be too. Put all ingredients except rice in a medium saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice. Serves 6 to 8.

Serve with a tossed green salad, sliced avocado, mango, and/or tostones.
I also like to serve this as a side dish with center cut pork chops that are seasoned with Adobo, then fried over medium heat until cooked through.

If you don't use Sofrito very often, freeze it in small portions in small resealable bags.

Variations:
Add chopped roasted red peppers, to taste
Add a cup or two cubed potatoes or cubed pumpkin or butternut squash and cook until soft