Cooking on the Fly, Chicken and Rice One Pot Meal

I was starting to make RR’s Chicken Cacciatore “stoup” but realized I had no mushrooms or spinach… I was then thinking of Jambalaya, but realized that I had already used the andouille sausage that I thought was in the freezer…. I like “arroz con gandules” but wanted something to eat for dinner not just have as a side dish…so I put this together and it came out terrific… what a way to stretch a pound of chicken to feed a crowd! (p.s. feel free to substitute the zucchini or just use one green or one red bell pepper. I only used what I had on hand)

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1  lb chicken meat, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  Sazon Goya seasoning (whatever the little packet is)
• 1⁄2 medium green bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 1⁄2 medium red bell pepper, large dice
• 1  medium onion, large dice
• 1⁄2 cup celery, large dice
• 2  cups zucchini, large dice (about 1 medium or large)
• 2  garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 -2  teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 1⁄2 cups canned tomatoes, un-drained roughly chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can  pigeon peas, drained (gandules)
• 4  cups chicken broth (about 2 cans)
• 1  tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2  cups long grain rice (such as Uncle Ben's)

Directions

1. Preheat a large pot over medium/high heat, add olive oil and chicken and brown chicken well on all sides.
2. Remove chicken from pot with a slotted spoon and add all copped vegetables (except canned tomatoes). Sautee’ vegetables and garlic about 3-4 minutes until they begin to wilt.
3. Add thyme, canned tomatoes (I usually just squish them in my hands out of the can right into the pot) drained beans, chicken broth, vinegar and rice.
4. Bring to a boil, stir and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook on low for 20 minutes, stir once or twice during cooking to prevent sticking. Allow to rest with the lid on about 5 minutes before serving.
5. Heap into bowls and serve with a nice salad on the side and enjoy your one pot dinner!