Arroz con Pollo:

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Canola oil
• 1 whole chicken cut into 10 pieces
• 1 pound chorizo sausages, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 Spanish onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup pimiento stuffed green olives

Salsa Verde:

• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• ½ bunch fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup blanched almonds, toasted
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon salt

In a bowl, mix the cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne and cinnamon; season with salt and pepper.  Mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons oil to moisten, and mix everything together with a fork to create a smooth paste.  Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry. Rub the chicken with the spice paste and let it sit for 20 minutes to develop the flavor. While the chicken is marinating, cook the chorizo.
Place a large, wide Dutch oven over medium heat and pour in 1 tablespoon oil. Toss in the chorizo and fry until crispy. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Brown the chicken in the chorizo fat, skin side down.  To avoid overcrowding, brown the chicken in batches. When you can move the chicken around the bottom of the pan without it sticking, flip it over and brown the other side.

Make a sofrito by adding the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and bay leaves to the pot; sauté until the vegetables are soft and almost dissolved, about 10 minutes. Fold in the rice so the grains are well coated.  Pour the entire can of tomatoes with the liquid into a bowl and hand crush until chunky; add it to the pot along with the stock. Season with salt and pepper. Return the chorizo and chicken to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and transfer the pot to the oven.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the chicken is done and the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the olives.

To prepare the Salsa Verde: in a food process, pulse all the ingredients together to form a chunky paste. Garnish the Arroz con Pollo with Salsa Verde before serving.