Arroz con Pollo with Bell Pepper

Ingredients

• 2 lb bone-in Chicken Thighs
• 1½ cups long-grain rice
• 1 Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin + 1 tsp turmeric (or a sazón packet)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup peas
• ¼ cup olives or capers (optional)
• Cilantro and lime, to finish

Method

1. Season the Chicken Thighs well and brown it hard in a little oil in your widest lidded pot, 4–5 minutes per side. Set aside — it returns shortly.
2. Soften the onion and Bell Pepper in the drippings, then add the garlic, cumin, and turmeric and stir 1 minute until the pot smells golden.
3. Add the rice and toast it in the spiced fat for 2 minutes — each grain coated and faintly nutty.
4. Pour in the stock, nestle the Chicken Thighs on top with any juices, and simmer covered on LOW for 22–25 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken reads 165°F. No peeking before minute 20; steam is doing load-bearing work.
5. Rest 5 minutes off the heat, then scatter with peas and olives, fluff around the chicken, and finish with cilantro and a hard squeeze of lime. The crusty rice at the pot's bottom goes to whoever did the dishes last.