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A delicious pot of Puerto Rican shrimp and vegetable rice, perfectly seasoned with homemade Sazón seasoning mix for vibrant color and authentic flavor. The golden yellow rice is infused with Puerto Rican staple seasonings, featuring shrimp, peas, carrots, and peppers. This dish is a perfect example of how to use Sazón seasoning in traditional Latin cooking.

Yellow Rice with Sazon

Here's how to make "Yellow Rice" with Sazón. It's what we call "Arroz Junto". Yellow rice can be mixed in with almost anything. Some of the most popular recipes are “Arroz con gandules” (with pigeon peas), “Arroz junto con pollo” (rice and chicken), and “Arroz junto con habichuela” (rice and beans).
The directions are almost the same for all with a few minor differences if you are adding meats. Other “Arroz junto” choices are made with corn, mixed vegetables, sausages, chickpeas, or whatever you’d like.
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Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups jasmine rice
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 heaping tbsp sofrito
  • 1 tbsp sazón
  • 3 cups broth of choice or 3 cups of water with 1-2 bouillon cubes
  • 1 or 2 tbsp spanish olives (Optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Choose an ingredient to mix in:
  • Gandules - 1 can of organic gandules (pigeon peas) or better yet, 2 cups of fresh gandules (soaked, rinsed and pre-cooked).
  • Chicken - 1 pound of chicken cut into small chunks.
  • Beans or Chickpeas - 1 can of organic any kind or your favorite beans or chickpeas. Better yet, 2 cups of fresh beans (Soaked, rinsed and pre-cooked.
  • Corn or Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup of frozen organic corn or mixed veggies.
  • Sausages - (1 pound) Choose your favorite, just make sure it's good quality meat from a local butcher and/or organic.

Instructions
 

  • If preferred, soak the rice in water overnight or at least 2 hours before cooking.
  • Add the oil into a dutch oven pot on high to medium high heat.
  • Sauté the sofrito for about 30 seconds (if adding meat you can add an additional 1 tsp of sofrito as the meat will absorb some of the flavor).
  • Add the sazón, (and optional olives) while sautéing the sofrito.
  • If making with meat:
  • If making meat like raw chicken or sausage, you can add the raw chunks at this time while mixing it in with the sofrito and sazón.
  • Add little bits of water to avoid sticking or burning.
  • Allow the meat to cook for about 10-15 minutes (depending on the meat) while continuing to mix/sauté. Continue to add water or broth to avoid sticking or burning.
  • To make with Beans, legumes or vegetables:
  • After sautéing the sofrito you can mix in the beans, legumes or vegetables.
  • Add the rice and mix in well with everything.
  • Add enough broth (or water) to reach 1⁄2 inch above the rice.
  • Add salt and pepper, mix and taste to see if the flavors are good to your liking.
  • Allow the water to boil between 5-10 minutes, until water slightly disappears. Continue to mix to avoid the rice from sticking to the bottom.
  • When the rice expands and there is only a bit of water left, mix everything again starting from the bottom of the pan. Turn down the heat to low, cover and allow the rice to cook completely (about 20 minutes). Do not uncover it until 20 minutes have passed. You can then uncover and verify if the rice is fully cooked.
  • Cooking time varies depending on the type of rice. For more reference on cook times, follow the instructions on the package.