Arroz con Pollo is a deliciously full-flavored, Latin chicken & rice dish made right on your stove top, in one pot! A family friendly winner that’s easy for any night of the week!
One-pot dishes are my jam, I absolutely love that I can bring a full-flavored dinner to the table, without destroying my kitchen! This chicken and rice dish is super easy, much like our Parmesan Chicken and Rice! Especially if you prep the ingredients ahead! Arroz con Pollo is a VERY versatile dish, that can be adjusted to whatever you like, and have on hand. No wine? No problem! Use beer or some extra chicken stock. Only have red bell peppers? Sure! No worries! You’ll need a large skillet with a lid or a dutch oven for this recipe, but no special equipment is needed otherwise. I hope you love it as much as my family does! If you are looking for other great one pot or chicken meals, try this Chicken Pot Pie (made in a skillet!), or this EASY Chicken Cordon Bleu
WHAT IS ARROZ CON POLLO?
Arroz con Pollo is a Chicken & Rice dish that originated in Spain & Puerto Rico. It is a classic meal made in one pot, that is closely related to Paella.
HOW TO MAKE ARROZ CON POLLO
- COOK THE CHICKEN – Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook (in batches if necessary) in olive oil over medium-high heat, turning to brown each side. We’re not fully cooking it right now, just browning, so don’t worry that it is still pink. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
- COOK THE VEGETABLES – saute the red pepper, green pepper, and onion until soft, then add the garlic, cumin and oregano.
- COOK THE RICE – Add the rice, and allow the oil/butter to coat each grain, then deglaze with white wine (sub chicken stock if you don’t want to use wine).
- ADD the bay leaves, the stock, paprika, and saffron and stir until well combined. Bring to a boil.
- RETURN THE CHICKEN TO THE POT, resting it gently on top, then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. The rice will have absorbed the liquid, and
- SERVE
THE BEST RICE TO USE FOR ARROZ CON POLLO
Traditionally, Calasparra rice is used, but as that is difficult to find – I use both arborio rice (that I use in risotto), and regular long-grain rice interchangeably with no issues. Using arborio rice will get you a creamier texture, but you will have to stir it more often!
WAYS TO MIX IT UP
- Add a can of fire-roasted tomatoes when you add the stock, you’ll get a deliciously smoky flavor, with the added flavor of the tomatoes.
- Adding some chorizo, or smoked sausage is another great way to add extra flavor and protein to this classic dish, without deviating too far from the original!
Arroz con Pollo
Ingredients
- 6 Bone in Skin on Chicken Thighs
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Medium Onion finely diced
- ½ Medium Red Bell Pepper finely diced
- ½ Medium Green Bell Pepper finely diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic finely minced
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 and 3/4 Cups Long Grain White Rice
- 1/2 Cup Wine OR CHICKEN BROTH
- 3 Cups Chicken Broth
- 2 Bay Leaves
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 cup Peas if frozen, no need to thaw
OPTIONAL
- 1 cup roasted red peppers sliced
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add as much chicken as will fit in the pan without crowding – cook until the chicken it is golden brown on the bottom, 3-4 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook until the other side is browned, 3-4 minutes longer; the chicken will still be pink inside.
- Transfer the chicken to a large plate. Repeat until all of the chicken is browned.
- Pour off all but 1 Tbs of oil, and melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onion and bell peppers and cook until the vegetables start to become tender, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin, oregano and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.
- Add the rice and stir well to allow the oil to coat each grain, then add the wine (if using and allow to deglaze).
- Add the bay leaves, stock, smoked paprika and saffron. Bring to a boil.
- Add chicken to top of rice and juices. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked, rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (25-30mins)
- Sprinkle the frozen peas over the top and red peppers.
- Cover and cook until heated through.
- Remove bay leaves and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was a great recipe and tasted amazing. My daughter needed a mexican dish for achool and we chose this. I beefed up the amounts to make the dish larger to accomodate her class requirements but it was great. I will increase the spices whwn I make this for the family though 🙂 .
It was quite good but no mention of salt and pepper. I gave the recipe to my husband and he followed it completely. It definitely needed salt. He also added some chili powder a flakes fir a little spiciness. Next time we will salt and pepper the chicken before browning and add in some salt to the rice.
How/when would you add chorizo? Maybe brown at the beginning then sautee everything else in the oils left behind, then add it back at the end before the chicken? Or just leave it in for the whole time? Sounds yummy!
How flavorful, colorful and delicious this dish looks. Would love to try this soon.
I’m with you, I love one-pot dishes! This looks amazing. Just the kind of recipes I’m looking for now that we finally have fall weather!