A one pot classic! This dish is full of flavor!
Arroz con Pollo means rice with chicken in Spanish. It is a traditional dish in Spain and Latin America. The dish has seared chicken that is cooked with yellow rice and vegetables. It is related to paella for its use of saffron to make the rice yellow. Some say the dish originates from Spain while others believe it came from Puerto Rico. Arroz con Pollo is eaten in almost every Latin country, with each country having their own version. For example, in Mexico chili or chili powder is often used to flavor the rice, while in Colombia the rice is flavored with tomato and saffron.
I created this dish as a variation on the classic Arroz con Pollo because I love Arroz Rojo (red rice). I thought red rice would taste just as delicious as yellow rice to accompany the chicken. I love the simplicity of this dish. Some days I just want to eat something warm and comforting, and this dish is it! After all the ingredients are prepped and seared I can just leave the pot to simmer and when the timer is up I have all the flavors I want in just one pot. This dish is great to make for entertaining because the whole meal is in one pot which means less dishes to clean up! I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Arroz con Pollo Recipe
Yields 4 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 58-60 minutes
Inactive Time 30 minutes
Specialty Tools: Dutch Oven or any heavy-bottomed pot with a lid
Beer Pairing Suggestion: Lager
Wine Pairing Suggestion: Sauvignon Blanc
Ingredients
4 skin-on chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons chili sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil for marination
3 tablespoons vegetable oil for cooking
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 tablespoons of white wine or chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup white rice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped with juices included
4 cilantro sprigs, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Place chicken thighs in a bowl or bag. Stir together cumin, garlic, powder, cayenne, paprika, chili sauce, and vegetable oil. Massage spice mixture onto the chicken. Let marinate for 20 minutes
Heat the dutch oven to medium heat with some vegetable oil. Brown the chicken thighs for 6 minutes on each side. Place chicken on a platter and set aside.
Place carrots and onions in the dutch oven. Stir and cook for 4 minutes.
Add the green bell pepper to the pot and cook for 3 more minutes.
Add the white wine and scrape up the brown chicken bits to deglaze the pan.
Add the garlic, salt, and rice to the pot. Stir to coat for 1 minute.
Stir together the chicken broth, tomato paste, tomatoes with juices, cilantro, and jalapeno together. Add the liquid mixture to the pot.
Nestle the chicken thighs in the rice. Make sure to add the juices from the platter for flavor.
Bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover with the lid.
Cook until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the rice is tender, about 33-35 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Turn off the heat and let the dutch oven stand covered for about 10 minutes before serving.
Serve hot.
This dish can be made with chicken drumsticks as well.
If you prefer white meat chicken cook the chicken breasts separate from the rice. Cooking chicken breasts with the rice may result in dry meat.
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