Tex Mex Chicken and Rice with Bacon

Ingredients

4-6 boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of most of the fat

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup light beer such as Dos Equis Amber (or more broth or water)

1/2 cup of your favorite salsa (I love Safeway’s brand, restaurant style Fire Roasted Salsa)

2 cups long grain rice

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 small yellow onion

1 medium red bell pepper

1 can black beans, thoroughly rinsed and drained

1 can sweet kernel corn, drained

1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

Avocado and cilantro for garnish

Using  ye old  spatula-tong method, cook bacon in a large, Dutch oven in batches so as not to over crowd. Remove and let drain on paper towels carefully draining the grease into an old can between each batch. Set aside for later. 

In a small food processor, finely chop onion and bell pepper. 

Reserve a tablespoon of the bacon fat and leave it in pan. Add chicken thighs and cook 2-3 minutes on each side to brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion and peppers to the pan and stir. Cook 5 minutes till translucent, stirring only once or twice.  

This is my favorite part, pour either the beer or about 1/2 cup of the broth into the pan while scraping of the browned bits with a spatula (don’t use a metal one on a Dutch oven).  Now, add the tomato paste and using a slotted spatula stir it around the pot to combine it with veggies.  

Add the remaining chicken broth, salsa, rice and chicken thighs to the pot. Stirring to combine. Cook over medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally. Add beans and corn, stir. Cover with a tight fitting lid and reduce heat to low. Cook undisturbed for 20 minutes. Remove from heat let sit for 10-15 minutes if possible. 

Remove lid, fluff with a fork. 

Serve piping hot on plates with crumbled bacon on top. Garnish with avocado slices and cilantro. Serve with an ice cold beer.