Cadillac Cowgirl Arroz con Pollo

Happy Humpalicious Hump Day!!!

My dogs have been busy this morning:



Gary sent those pictures to me. This was after he located his glasses under our bed. Waylon is a night prowler...he also invaded Paige's room last night. Crazy muffin.

Last night, Courtney came over for our Bridesmaid's watch party. Melissa McCarthy, the girl that plays Meghan, was freakin hilarious. She stole that movie - it was sooo funny!! I'm glad I finally saw it.

I had everything on hand for Arroz con Pollo so I decided to make that for dinner last night. I made it differently than in the past and it came out fantastic. Below is the recipe:

Cadillac Cowgirl Arroz con Pollo

For the rice:
1 Cup Long Grain Rice
1 Small Onion, Chopped
1 8 oz Can Tomato Sauce
1 Tomato and Chicken Bullion Cube
1 Chicken Bullion Cube
3 1/2 Cups Water
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

For the chicken:
1 lb Chicken Tenders
Olive Oil for Browning
1 Tbsp Pacific Beauty Paprika
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
(Spices available from Mild Bills - of course!!)

Begin your rice first by heating the olive oil in a large covered skillet. Once hot, add the rice and stir to coat. Saute the rice over medium high heat until it starts to brown; don't let it burn. Add the chopped onion and turn the heat down to medium low; saute for a few minutes. In the meantime, using the microwave or a saucepan, bring the 3 1/2 cups of water and bullion cubes to a boil. Once boiling, add the water and cubes to the rice and onion mixture along with the tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer.

In a separate skillet, heat the oil for the chicken. While the oil is heating up, sprinkle half of the cumin, paprika, salt and pepper evenly over the chicken tenders. Add the chicken (seasoned side down) to the skillet. Sprinkle the remaining half of the cumin, paprika, salt and pepper over the unseasoned side of the chicken tenders. Brown over medium heat on each side, about 4 minutes per side. Allow the chicken tenders to drain on a paper towel, then add them to the rice. Re-cover the rice after adding the chicken and continue to cook the rice until the chicken and the rice are done.

The rice takes about 50 minutes and since you are browning the chicken tenders, it's only going to take about 20-25 minutes to finish cooking them, so I always add them halfway through. You know that your rice is done when the moisture has evaporated and you are left with moist, but fluffy rice. You don't want it to be gummy, so don't stir it around. The best way to check it and see if you need a little more water while cooking is to take a spoon and just move it away from the edge of the skillet. If it's getting a little brown on bottom and sticking, but the rice isn't tender yet, add a little water and put the cover back on.

I like to serve this with queso over the top and flour tortillas. Gary always likes to add salsa to his. It's a great weeknight meal and it also freezes well. Enjoy!!!

I better get to work...ugh.....

Spreading kindness and joy in all that I do....

Kelly