Chicken and Rice Sofrito @LucyBurdette

 
LUCY BURDETTE: One of the delightful things that comes from writing culinary mysteries is that people want to share delicious things with you, figuring you'll appreciate them. And I do, oh I do! Recently, Monique and Christine, two new friends in Key West, met me at 2 Cents to record a podcast for Key West This Week and then have a drink. This photo is taken at 2 Cents where they serve ALL THE BACON YOU CAN EAT at happy hour! (Christine is holding the gift she gave me--a bag of homegrown peppers--peppers and bacon, whoo hoo!)

The next day, Christine brought me a jar of homemade sofrito, which is a Latin seasoning often containing onion, pepper, tomatoes, paprika, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and olive oil. These ingredients are processed until smooth. (If you aren't up for making sofrito, I think you can simulate the flavor by sauteing peppers, onions, garlic and seasonings, then adding the chicken.)


 This is an easy dish--I left out the seasoning packet in the rice because I already had plenty of flavor and didn't want the extra salt and preservatives...

 Ingredients

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup sofrito
2 TBsp olive oil
1 package Mahatma yellow rice, seasoning packet removed
1 can diced tomatoes (I used Muir)
1 box frozen peas
3 cups chicken broth
chopped fresh cilantro
hot sauce to taste

Heat the oil over medium high heat, add sofrito, cook until most of the moisture is gone. Add chicken and cook, stirring until browned. In a larger pot, cook the yellow rice in the chicken broth. 


When the rice is tender, stir in the tomatoes, peas, and seasoned chicken and heat until warm all the way through. Sprinkle with cilantro and hot sauce to taste.

Lucy Burdette is the author of the Key West food critic mysteries. MURDER WITH GANACHE will be out on February 4, but we'd be thrilled if you'd pre-order it now.

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