Arroz con pollo in a rice cooker

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in the rice cooker on the quick cook setting. If the cooker will not heat with the lid open, do the early steps in a skillet and transfer.

Cut half an onion, using a horizontal cut so the pieces are even and cook evenly; add to the oil.

Trim, smash and peel two garlic cloves; chop roughly and add.

Peel, trim and quarter the carrot and cut it with the green beans into small chunks. Stir the onion and garlic; close the lid to soften without browning.

Slice the olives for the end. Grind whole cumin with paprika for the spice blend.

Let the onion and garlic soften about five more minutes, until sweated but not brown.

Season with kosher salt and MSG and add the spice blend.

Add a cup of long-grained rice and stir until every grain is coated in oil and aromatics, which keeps the rice fluffy and separate.

Add about one and a third cups of chicken broth and mix; set the vegetables and the boneless, skinless chicken thighs on top.

Lift out the chicken, crumble in a pinch of saffron, stir, and return the chicken.

Close the lid and cook on white rice mode, 35 minutes.

Shred the chicken with two forks into biggish chunks.

Add the sliced olives and finely chopped cilantro and fold everything together rather than stirring, so it does not turn into one solid blob.

Taste; add more salt and MSG, drizzle in a little more olive oil, and fold once more.