Ingredients

Homemade Sazón (makes ~4-5 packets’ worth; use ~1.5 tsp per packet called for)

• 2 tsp ground achiote/annatto
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt

Homemade Sofrito (makes ~2 cups; freeze extra in an ice cube tray)

• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 head garlic, peeled (~10-12 cloves)
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 4-6 ají dulce peppers (or 1 cubanelle pepper if unavailable)
• 1 small bunch culantro/recao (optional, if you can find it)
• 1 tomato, chopped (optional)

Chicken

• 2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp adobo
• 1.5 tsp homemade sazón
• Juice of 1 lime
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano

Arroz con Gandules

• 1.25 cups jasmine or medium-grain rice (uncooked)
• 1 can (15 oz) gandules (pigeon peas), drained
• 1/3 cup sofrito
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp manzanilla olives, sliced
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil + 1.5 tsp homemade sazón (or use achiote-infused oil, see notes)
• 2.5 cups chicken broth or water
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Make the sofrito: Add all sofrito ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not fully puréed — you want a coarse, spoonable texture. Use 1/3 cup for this recipe and freeze the rest in an ice cube tray (each cube is ~2 tbsp, perfect for future batches).
2. Make the sazón: Combine all sazón ingredients and store in a small jar. You’ll use it in both the chicken marinade and the rice.
3. Marinate the chicken: Combine olive oil, adobo, 1.5 tsp sazón, lime juice, garlic, and oregano. Coat the chicken breasts and marinate at least 2 hours (overnight is better).
4. Start the base: In a caldero or heavy pot, heat the olive oil with 1.5 tsp sazón over medium (or use achiote-infused oil). Add sofrito and cook 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Stir in tomato sauce and olives, cook 1 minute.
5. Add rice and gandules: Stir in the drained gandules and rice, coating everything in the sofrito. Pour in broth, season with salt, and bring to a boil.
6. Cook the rice: Once boiling, stir once, reduce to low, cover, and cook 20-25 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Don’t stir while it cooks. Fluff at the end.
7. Air-fry the chicken: While the rice cooks, air-fry the marinated chicken at 380°F for 18-22 minutes, flipping halfway, until internal temp reaches 165°F. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice.
8. Assemble: Divide arroz con gandules into 5 containers and top with sliced chicken.

No ground achiote? If you only have annatto seeds, heat 2 tbsp olive oil with 1 tbsp seeds over low until the oil turns red-orange (2-3 min), strain out the seeds, and use that achiote-infused oil in the sofrito step. It replaces both the sazón’s color and the achiote oil in one move.

Macros

Whole Dish

Per Serving

577 calories, 58g protein, 15g fat, 50g carbs, 4g fiber, 2g sugar

Per Ingredient (Whole Dish)

• chicken breast (2.5 lb raw) — 1361 cal · 255p · 29f · 0c · 0 fiber
• marinade olive oil (1 tbsp) — 124 cal · 0p · 14f · 0c · 0 fiber
• jasmine rice (1.25 cup dry) — 844 cal · 16p · 2f · 185c · 3 fiber
• gandules/pigeon peas (1 can) — 288 cal · 17p · 4f · 50c · 14 fiber
• sofrito (~1/3 cup) — 40 cal · 2p · 0f · 9c · 2 fiber
• tomato sauce (1/4 cup) — 15 cal · 1p · 0f · 3c · 1 fiber
• manzanilla olives (2 tbsp) — 34 cal · 0p · 3f · 2c · 1 fiber
• olive oil + achiote (1.5 tbsp) — 177 cal · 0p · 20f · 0c · 0 fiber Total — 2883 cal · 291p · 73f · 249c · 21 fiber