Arroz con Pollo
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Arroz con pollo is a much-loved Latin American dish that combines seasoned rice, tender chicken, and vegetables in one big pot, making it the perfect meal to feed a crowd or enjoy with family.
Arroz con pollo—which means “rice with chicken” in Spanish—is a beloved Latin American dish that’s as comforting as it is delicious. In my version, bone-in chicken is seared until golden, then simmered with rice, aromatics, spices, and olives until everything is tender and infused with rich flavor. A final mix of peas and fresh cilantro ties it all together and brings brightness to the dish.
When it comes to serving, you can shred the chicken and mix it into the rice for a cohesive dish, or leave it whole for a prettier presentation (my family prefers it shredded). Arroz con pollo is the kind of hearty, feel-good meal that’s just right for feeding a hungry crowd. Serve it with a big salad and a traditional Latin American dessert like flan to round out the meal.
“Just delicious – even my picky eaters loved it. I used my Dutch oven and shredded the chicken and mixed it into the rice. Perfect one-pot meal!”
What You’ll Need To Make Arroz con Pollo
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Season and Brown the Chicken
Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. In a small bowl, mix together 1½ teaspoons salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the cumin.
Cut off any excessive fat on the chicken, but leave the skin intact. Dry the chicken pieces by blotting them with a paper towel and season both sides with the spice mixture.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or deep, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken in a single layer, working in two batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. For thighs, start skin-side down and cook until golden and crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes on the other side. For drumsticks, sear for 2 to 3 minutes per side until evenly browned all over.
Using tongs, transfer the chicken pieces to a large plate and set aside aside.
Step 2: Sauté the Vegetables and Rice
If there’s a lot of oil left in the pan, carefully pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat. Return the pot to the stove and lower the heat to medium-low. Add the onion and bell pepper, stirring occasionally, and cook until they’re softened, 6 to 8 minutes. As you stir, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan—they’re packed with flavor and will mix right into the vegetables.
Add the rice, garlic, tomato paste, and remaining 1 teaspoon of cumin; cook until fragrant, another few minutes.
Step 3: Add the Broth, Seasoning and Browned Chicken To The Pot
Add the chicken broth, oregano, turmeric, sugar, olives, bay leaves, and remaining 1¼ teaspoons salt.
Nestle the chicken on top of this mixture and pour any remaining chicken drippings into the pan as well, and bring the broth to a boil.
Step 4: Bake
Cover the pot with a lid and transfer it straight to the oven. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Once done, remove the pot from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Uncover the pan (remember, the lid will be hot!) and use tongs to transfer the chicken to a plate. Remove the bay leaves, then fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the peas and cilantro.
Return the chicken to the top of the rice, or if you prefer, remove the skin, shred the meat off the bones, and mix it into the rice for a more cohesive dish. Serve immediately, or cover the pan to keep warm for up to 30 minutes. Serve with lemon or lime wedges on the side.
If you love Spanish and Latin American flavors, you might also enjoy my paella, beef empanadas, and gazpacho Andaluz.
Video Tutorial
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Arroz con Pollo
Ingredients
- 2¾ teaspoons salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
- 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cups long grain white rice (basmati works very well), rinsed
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 3½ cups chicken broth (see note about measurement)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric (may substitute with annatto powder or bijol)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¾ cup drained and halved pimento-stuffed green olives (from a 6-oz/170-g jar)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- Lemon or lime wedges, as garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1½ teaspoons of the salt, the pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the cumin. Cut off any excessive fat on the chicken (leaving the skin intact). Blot the chicken with a paper towel and season both sides with the spice mixture.
- Heat the oil in a large (5 to 6-qt/5 to 6-L) Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed, high-sided, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Working in two batches so as not to crowd the pan, brown the chicken. For thighs, place the chicken skin side down, and sear until golden and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side, 1 to 2 minutes more. For drumsticks, sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, turning to brown evenly all over. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a large plate and set aside. If there is a lot of oil left in the pan, pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.
- Return the pot to the stove and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. As you stir, scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and mix it into the vegetables. Add the rice, garlic, tomato paste, and remaining 1 teaspoon of cumin; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, oregano, turmeric, sugar, olives, bay leaves, and remaining 1¼ teaspoons salt. Nestle the chicken on top of this mixture and pour any remaining chicken drippings into the pan as well. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot with a lid and immediately transfer to the oven to bake for 35 minutes, or until the chicken registers 175°F (80°C) on a meat thermometer.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let sit, covered, on a wire rack or the stovetop for 10 minutes.
- Uncover the pan (remember the lid is hot!) and use tongs to transfer the chicken to a plate. Remove the bay leaves, and fluff the rice. Taste the rice to be sure it is fully cooked. (If it still tastes too firm, pour ½ cup/120 ml water evenly over the rice, and give the rice a quick fluff again.) Place the pan on the stovetop over low heat and cook, covered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Uncover and taste to ensure the rice is cooked. Add more water and repeat if necessary.) Mix the peas and cilantro (if using) into the rice. Return the chicken pieces to the top of the rice. Alternatively, remove the skin, pull the meat off of the bones, and shred into bite-sized chunks, and mix in with the rice. Serve or cover the pan to keep warm for up to 30 minutes until ready to serve. Serve with lemon or lime wedges.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Just prepared this tonight!! Wow it was fantastic!!! I used all chicken thighs. Chicken was tender rice was perfectly tender and so flavorful! The only charge I made was to add a diced jalapeño with the pepper.
Could an envelope or two of Sazon con culantro y achiote be substituted for the spices? I am making this tonight, and it sounds wonderful as is, but I was looking for a lazy way to do the spices. Thanks!
Hi Lisa, I wasn’t familiar with Sazon con culantro so I looked it up. Based on the combo of spices you could probably get away with it but there are some definite departures from the spices in the dish so, for the best results, I’d stick to the recipe. Sorry!
Just delicious – even my picky eaters loved it. I used my Dutch oven and shredded the chicken and mixed it into the rice. Perfect one-pot meal!
I made this last night, because it was snowing here in Colorado and I was dreaming of the South of Spain…it was really good. A little salty (might have been the olives I used), so I threw in a couple of handfuls of julienned fresh spinach (not traditional, I know), which brightened it up and mellowed the salt a bit. Turned into a great one-pot meal which I will definitely make again (and I’ll add spinach next time to, traditional ingredient or not!).
If I plan on using just 1 cup of rice, should I cut the broth in half?
Yes, that would work. Enjoy!
Hi Jen
Can this dish be cooked on the stove top rather than the oven?
Sure, keep on low and stir periodically so the rice doesn’t scorch. Please LMK how it turns out!
So excited to see you as this to your recipe collection! After living in San Antonio and having coworkers who were amazing cooks I’ve often tried to recreate their Arroz con Pollo without much success, so I’m excited to try your technique. I assume that if I were to use brown long grain rice I would need to increase the chicken broth and cook time to accommodate those changes? I’m preemptively rating this a 5 because I know it’s going to be delicious!
Hi Shelly, Yes – and for the chicken broth, I would go by the measurements on the rice package. Please LMK how it turns out!
I saw this recipe in my email this morning and thought it would be just the meal for yet another rainy California day and was I right! This is one more stellar meal from Once Upon a Chef, which made my husband very happy! Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes – they always make me look so good!!
Every one of Jen Segal’s recipes that I’ve tried has been delicious and this one is no exception! Super tasty! And only one pot!
Made this tonight. Delicious!
Just came out of the oven!!!!!
First words out of his mouth, “mmmmmmm This is delicious”!!!!
And I agree, 100%!!!!
🥰