I have started the new year with yet another one pot meal. How great is a one pot meal??- I love them. With this particular one, I served a salad and some store bought green salsa and it was a huge success.

I love not having to clean multiple pots and pans and not spending extra time cooking side dishes. This is a perfect week night meal.

Since I talked about brown rice yesterday, this dish would be ideal with brown rice. I would increase the cooking time, of course- but the flavor won’t be compromised at all. Especially in this dish, since there are lots of strong flavors going on, this dish might be perfect to experiment with- your family may not be able to tell the difference at all.

As most of you know, I love shopping at Trader Joes- especially for the new and fabulous ingredients they keep coming out with. I found a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies recently. I picked it up immediately and decided to use it for a south western style dish. I loved the flavor in this dish- it brings a smoky kick to the rice dish- really delicious. Please try it…

• 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14.5 oz can of diced and fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies (Trader Joes)
• 1 15 oz can of pinto beans
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1½ cups chicken broth

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. In the meantime, sprinkle paprika and salt on both sides of the chicken pieces. Place the chicken pieces in the heated oil and brown both sides- about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Add the onions and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add the rice and salt. Continue boiling till the broth begins to evaporate and bubbles form on the surface. Lower the heat to low and cover the saucepan half way. Once the all the broth has evaporated, cover all the way and cook for 20 minutes or till the rice is done.

Take the chicken pieces out and shred with a fork. Put back in the pan and mix with the rice and beans.

Serve with a green salad and freshly made guacamole.