Arroz con Pollo

There's a gazillion authentic ways to prepare this popular dish.  I used to work with a lot of people from the Caribbean- especially Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic.  They taught me how to make Arroz con Pollo their way.  Normally I use chicken thighs, but breasts are lighter.   

I tried another shortcut last night.  Ideally, I would use a medium grain rice and a seasoning product called "Sazon Goya con Azafran," but the store had neither...it did have this Vigo Yellow Rice Dinner stuff, which I bought and used and it was pretty much OK.

This is the cured "Spanish" Chorizo, which is very different from raw Mexican Chorizo. The texture is more like pepperoni than, say, bratwurst. Look for Goya brand if you're not sure what to buy.  You need to peel it and then slice it thin.  It's more of a flavoring than a meat item in your dish.

I browned the 3 chicken breasts, then sauteed a red pepper, half an onion, garlic, and 1 chorizo link in the same pan:

Then the rice got added, the liquid called for on the package, and the chicken was tucked in there and it was covered to cook through.  I removed the chicken when it was done (about 7 minutes into the 20 minute cooking time).

Rice is cooked- a final garnish of fresh cilantro and green olives gets incorporated...

The chicken sliced and added back to reheat for a few moments...

That's it.  The whole bag of rice was a bit much for 3 chicken breasts and 2 adults/2 kids, but other than that, it was a good old favorite dinner for a chilly evening.