Nice just Chicken & Rice

So... I'm in the mood for chicken and rice. But not JUST chicken and rice... Arroz co Pollo. I know what it translates too, but Puerto Ricos version of this dish is WAAAAAAYYYYY better than seasoning up a bird and cooking some rice in a cooker.

RECIPE:
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (the understood meat of poultry)
1 tbsp Creole seasoning (Zatarains)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, diced
3 celery sticks, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic (store bought)
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 c long-grain rice
1 c chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, w/juice (14 oz)
1 1/4 c chicken broth
1 can green chiles, diced
1 bay leaf
2 tsp jalapenos, diced
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 c frozen peas (leave frozen)
3/4 c frozen yellow corn (leave frozen)
2 tbsp chopped parsley, fresh

Add oil to large pot (dutch oven). Season chicken with creole seasoning (generously) on both sides. Add to pot and cook on both sides, 2 minutes a side. Remove chicken, and set to the side.


Add celery, onion, paprika and garlic to pot; cook 4 minutes. Add rice to pot, cook 1 minute stirring. Add 1 c broth and tomatoes to pot, cook 1 minute. Add chiles, jalapenos, salt, bay leaf, the rest of the broth and chicken to pot, and cover. Cook 20 minutes, stirring 1/2 way through. Add peas and corn the last 3 minutes. Top with parsley.


This recipe was WAY too easy to make, and came out VERY good.

Taco Tuesdays...

... but Thursday's Taco post.

My daughter loves tacos. She could truly eat tacos every night of the week, if she had her choice (but she doesn't). What we do at our house is have tacos at least once a week. Children are very simple when it comes to tacos. They normally only want meat, cheese and lettuce. None of that fussy stuff like onions, sour cream, cilantro or tomatoes. Hell my kids don't even want taco sauce, they eat them with ketchup (yes I know... discussing - and I don't mean to offend any cultures here!).

My only suggestion when making tacos is this: DON'T BUY THE TACO SEASONING PACKETS. A few seasonings from your pantry will suffice. If you use these packets, your tacos will taste just like every other person who uses this stuff. What will make your tacos stand out? I never use the seasoning, and I always use ground beef.
My tacos always have lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, cheese, La Victoria "hot" taco sauce and sour cream. Sounds like a lot?.... so what! Make your own tacos.








I also try and do a little something different when it comes to how I cook our refried beans. Yes, you can simply warm them up and be done with it. I've found that if you add 2-3 tbsp of plain barbeque sauce (or whatever you have on-hand) it takes the "bite" out of the beans (I can thank my husband for turning me on to this). It gives them a slight "tinge" in flavor, and truly adds to them. We also add cheese.... but who doesn't?











Lastly when I cook my spanish rice (that I've never looked up a recipe for) I use the same method of cooking as indicated on the package, but I add tomato paste to the water to get the rice to turn that "color" of spanish rice. I also add onions and cilantro and a little bit of seasoning salt. All in all... I just make it up as I go along.