Adobo-Seasoned Chicken and Rice

Do you ever get complaints from your family or friends or even yourself that you are so sick of chicken?  It is either too dry or too bland.  Well, I promise you will not get any of that with this chicken.  This chicken is amazing.  It turned out extremely flavorful and even juicy, if you can believe it!  Bobby Flay is a genius when it comes to the perfect rub ingredients.  This entire recipe looks like it has a lot of ingredients, as Bobby's dishes usually do, but most of them are common ingredients you might already have on hand.  

Like I said, the chicken was the star of this dish, but what about the rice?  The rice was good, but did not blow my socks off.  I loved all of the vegetables in it and it paired really nice with the chicken, but I liked the chicken so much, that this rice was just okay, but with a few minor tweaks, I think it could be amazing.  I will be making this chicken again and again.  I cut the recipe in half and I used one boneless, skinless chicken breast, 2 drumsticks and 1 thigh and they all turned out great. 

Adobo-Seasoned Chicken and Rice

adapted from: Throwdown with Bobby Flay

(Printable Recipe)

Adobo Seasoning

1 Tbl. kosher salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. dry mustard

1 Tbl. finely chopped fresh oregano leaves (I used dried)

Chicken and Rice

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, cut in half

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbl. olive oil

1 large onion, finely diced

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and finely diced

1 serrano chile, seeded and finely diced

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 c. long-grain rice

5 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 c. frozen peas (not thawed)

1 c. pitted picholine olives (I didn't add these)

3 Tbl. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

2 tsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped (I used dried)

grated zest and juice of 1 fresh lime

Combine all of the adobo seasoning ingredients.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Season both sides of the chicken pieces generously with the adobo seasoning mixture.  Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Place the chicken in the oil, skin side down, in batches if necessary and saute until golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Turn the chicken over and cook until the second side is golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet, place it in the oven and roast until tender and just cooked through, about 12 minutes.  (I baked my chicken at a slightly lower temperature for a little bit longer, because I wanted it to be done the same time as the rice).

Meanwhile, pour off all but 2 Tbl. fat from the Dutch oven and place it back over high heat.  Add the onion, bell peppers and serrano chile and cook until soft, 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the rice to the pan, stir to coat it in the mixture and cook for 1 minute.  Add the chicken broth and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Cook for 5 minutes, uncovered.  Then stir well, cover, reduce the heat to medium and cook until all the broth has been absorbed and the rice is tender, 10-12 minutes.  During the last few minutes of cooking, quickly stir in the peas, cover and continue cooking.

Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes, covered.  Then remove the lid, fluff the rice and gently fold in the olives, cilantro, oregano, lime zest and juice.  Add the chicken and stir to combine.  Serves: 4