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One Dish Meal: Arroz con Pollo

I tend to have all the ingredients on hand to make this easy, one skillet meal. We buy chicken breasts that are pre-portioned into packages of 2 breasts each. These are great because you can pull one package out of the freezer when you get home from work and soak them in hot water in order to quickly thaw. Many of my go-to quick recipes use instant rice as a shortcut. This chicken and rice dish takes about 30 minutes to make.

Arroz con Pollo
Adapted from The Best Simple Recipes

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 T. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine (I use frozen chopped onion, ~ 1/2 12 oz. bag)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced (I use prepared minced garlic as a shortcut)
1 T. tomato paste (I always have a tube of Amore double concentrated paste in the fridge for these recipes that call for such a small amount. Not worth opening an entire can!)
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1-1/2 c. instant brown rice
1-1/2 c. water
1/2 c. chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until well browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate.
2. Add 1 T. oil, onion, and green pepper to the empty skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, pepper flakes, and 1/2 t. salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and coat with oil, mixing into the vegetables, cook about 1 minute. Add water and olives, bring to a boil. Nestle chicken, browned-side up, into rice, adding beans and any accumulated chicken juices from the plate. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice chicken crosswise and arrange on top of rice. Serve.

I had zero plan for dinner when I got home from work tonight, so I am glad to have these pantry meal plans in my back pocket. The chicken is resting right now and everything smells delicious!

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