Time to Clean Out the Pantry

I’m getting ready to go on vacation to a warmer clime and wanted to clean out the pantry before leaving.  It minimizes the sting from returning from a relaxing vacation when you find a nice clean kitchen.

I had some boneless chicken in the freezer and red and green bell peppers that would spoil if I didn’t use them soon.  I also pulled out some rice, chicken broth and the remaining Sazón seasoning mix I had left over from another recipe I made during the holidays.   I really like this seasoning mix.  It’s sold several packets to a box and adds a good punch of flavor and color in just one ingredient.  So after studying the result of my pantry clean out for a few minutes I decided on a chicken and rice dish that would come together fairly quickly and use up all these ingredients. Smart Meals clean out the pantry!

Hearty Chicken ‘n’ Rice

Makes 6 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed

1 ½ cups long-grain rice

3 cups fat free chicken broth

¼ cup tomato paste

2 packets Sazón Goya® con azafran seasoning

1.     Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook until browned; remove from skillet.

2.     Add onion, red and green peppers and oregano.  Cook and stir for 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.  Stir in the rice.

3.     Add the broth, tomato paste and Sazón seasoning.  Heat to a boil.  Add chicken; reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for 20 minutes or until rice absorbs the broth.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Stir rice mixture and serve.

Nutrition Information per serving: 453 calories, 12 g. total fat, 3 g. saturated fat, 101 mg. cholesterol, 745 mg. sodium, 44 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. dietary fiber, 4 g. sugar, 40 g. protein