One Pot Sazón Chicken and Rice

I am a big big fan of one pot meals-less cleanup and I only have to keep my eyes (and timer) on one pot.

I made this chicken today and it was out of this world. It has a bit of a kick – I assume it was the chipotle powder.

You will need:

• 4 chicken quarters (defrosted and at room temperature)
• Dutch oven
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander.
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin.
• 1 tablespoon ground annatto seeds (achiote) or turmeric.
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder.
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
• 1 teaspoon oregano.
• 1 tsp ground black pepper.
• 1 tsp chipotle powder
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• Oil (grapeseed, canola, peanut or soybean)
• 1 cup long grain rice (basmati, jasmine)

Take the dry spices (everything but the tomato paste), mix them and then rub them into the defrosted chicken. If you have time, let the chicken brine in the dry spices for a few hours in the fridge. If you don’t have time, don’t worry.

Take the dutch oven and place it over a medium fire. Wait until it gets hot and then pour in enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pot. For me, it was less than 1/4 of a cup.

Once the oil is hot, place two of the chicken thighs upside down and leave them there until the skin crisps up (approx 6 minutes) and then turn them over to brown the other side.

Remove and then repeat for the last two pieces of chicken.

Once all the chicken has been browned, remove and add the rice. Stir and make sure the rice is coated with the oil and all that yummy browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Pour in two cups of water and stir. Then add in the tomato paste and stir. Next, add the chicken skin facing down.

Cover the pot and leave it on a medium fire for 25 minutes.  After 25 minutes, open the pot and have a look at the rice. Add another cup of water. Cover and lower the flame to low and leave it for another 30 minutes.

Once 30 minutes is done, check to make sure the water was all absorbed into the rice. If not, just leave the pot covered and off the fire for another 10 minutes.

Serve the chicken and rice and enjoy!

 

 

 

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Tahina (Tahini) Cookies

Adapted the peanut butter cookie recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1/4 cup creamy tahini
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon of sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using an electric mixer, cream tahini and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add an egg and vanilla, and continue beating until creamy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder. Gradually add dry ingredients from step 2 to wet ingredients in step 1, beating on low speed.

Cut a big enough piece of plastic wrap and wrap the cookie dough. Refrigerate for at least 8 minutes.

Prepare baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or lightly greased aluminum foil. Place sea salt on a  plate. Roll spoonfuls of cookie dough into balls, rolling each ball between your hands. Roll balls in salt to coat the tops of the cookies.

Place cookie balls 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 12 minutes, until cookies just brown around the edges and crackle on top. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely. This helps the cookies crunch up on the outside while remaining chewy on the inside.

Easy Peasy Peanut Butter Cookies

I would double the recipe – we ate all of the cookies in less than 24 hours.

Ingredients

1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon of sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using an electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add an egg and vanilla, and continue beating until creamy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder. Gradually add dry ingredients from step 2 to wet ingredients in step 1, beating on low speed.

Cut a big enough piece of plastic wrap and wrap the cookie dough. Refrigerate for at least 8 minutes.

Prepare baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or lightly greased aluminum foil. Place sea salt on a  plate. Roll spoonfuls of cookie dough into balls, rolling each ball between your hands. Roll balls in salt to coat the tops of the cookies.

Place cookie balls 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 12 minutes, until cookies just brown around the edges and crackle on top. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely. This helps the cookies crunch up on the outside while remaining chewy on the inside.

Notes

Adapted from Martha Stewart