Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Joseph Montoya

Editor's note: This is one of several articles celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. We asked people to share recipes with Hispanic heritage roots and short stories about their lives.

My name is Joseph Montoya and I was raised in Southern California outside Los Angeles. When I graduated from college I accepted an offer from a CPA firm where I worked for 10 years. Once I realized I needed a career shift, I sought out a position with DCAA; who originally recruited me during college. I joined DCAA in 2014 and this was the best decision I made. In 2020, I accepted an opportunity at the Fairfax branch Office and moved to Virginia.

Being away from my family made me fondly reflect on eating the meals I grew up with as a kid, since I can no longer take them for granted. One meal in particular is the Arroz con Pollo my mom would make that always made my day. I was a very picky kid growing up and always struggled to eat my veggies; I loved this dish because of the limited vegetables needed. It's basically chicken and rice, so what's not to love for a picky kid!

Feel free to add additional vegetables to your tastes like green onions, serrano peppers, and cilantro. My mom does add some extra greens when she makes this dish for others and a side of beans is always nice when eating Mexican food. But I still prefer the simple way I ate it in the recipe below. I've seen different versions in Spain, restaurants, and homes of friends and family. The one thing in common is that the version you grew up with is always your favorite. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• ~ 2lbs lbs chicken thighs (usually 4-5) with skin (remove skin on a couple thighs)
• Canola oil - use preferred amounts per needed step
• 1 ½ Cups Rice
• 3 C Water
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 Medium carrot
• 1 Medium diced potato
• 1 Cup diced tomato
• 1 Can tomato sauce 8 oz.
• 1 Tbsp Chicken bouillon
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp salt when searing chicken

Directions:

1. Start by cutting thighs in half to make more manageable in the dish.
2. Brown 1 ½ cups of rice with the oil. Stop when golden. Put aside
3. Sear chicken thighs uncovered in pan using oil. Add salt, cumin, carrot and onions. Sear until golden brown.
4. When seared and vegetables translucent, add tomato sauce and mix. Keep temperature steady.
5. Add can diced tomatoes and chicken bouillon, and garlic cloves minced.
6. Add 3 cups of hot water, cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
7. Add potatoes cut into chucks.
8. Add rice, simmer on low.
9. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until rice is cooked.
10. Turn off heat and let sit for about 10 minutes.
11. Serve and enjoy!