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
A one-pot chicken and rice dish that’s packed with flavor, arroz con pollo is a guaranteed family favorite!
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
- Approximately 3½ cups chicken broth (see note about measurement)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ tsp 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 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 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) 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 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 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.
- Note: Check the instructions on your bag of rice for the proper ratio of rice to chicken broth. My extra long-grain basmati calls for 1¾ cups liquid for every 1 cup of rice, but every brand and type of rice is different.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 662
- Fat: 47 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 44 g
- Sodium: 1,077 mg
- Cholesterol: 226 mg
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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Nice recipe. I made this with 1 1/2 cups of basmati rice and 5 bone in thighs. Since it is only my husband and I, there is are 2 pieces of chicken left over and lots of rice, so I am grilling shrimp to have with the rice tonight. I think it was excellent and will pair with the shrimp well.
This was delicious and very easy to make! My rice was a bit mushy, is there a way to correct this?
Also, thanks for the great recipes.
Hi Sandy, Glad you enjoyed this but sorry to hear you found the rice to be mushy. If you make this again, I’d use slightly less broth (and be sure to check the instructions on your bag of rice for the proper ratio of rice to chicken broth).
My family loved this! If I halve the amount of rice and the ingredients going into that part of the dish, but keep the amount of chicken the same, will that affect cooking time?
Hi Amanda, so glad you all enjoyed it! Unfortunately, I don’t think it will work to halve the rice mixture. You’d need to use the same size pot (in order to fit the chicken) and I’m concerned that there’d be too much surface area for half the rice, and that it would burn. Sorry!
I just made this and it’s delicious. I added 3 more garlic cloves and an extra tsp of salt and that worked well for my preferences!
Hi. I love this recipe and followed it exactly however I now have bone in chicken breasts- could I use them? It is there a better recipe for breasts? Thx!
Hi Jody, Glad you like it! I think bone-in breasts work, but if the breasts are very large, I’d recommend cutting them in half. They may cook a bit faster than the thighs so keep an eye on them and pull them out a few minutes early if necessary. I’d love to hear how it turns out with breasts! This is another recipe that calls for chicken breasts, but I’m not sure you want to make chicken noodle soup in August. 😊
Hii love the flavour. Question, what should I do The rice seems to be too wet after removing and fluffing?
Hi Sopheia, Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do with the rice at this point, but if you make this again, I’d use slightly less broth (and be sure to check the instructions on your bag of rice for the proper ratio of rice to chicken broth).
I prepared the recipe today and it was awesome.
I followed all the steps.
Admittedly I have never eaten this dish. It’s quite good. As the three of us are watching our sodium intake I reduced the salt by half, rinsed the olives, and used reduced sodium chicken broth. I also opted to pull the cooked chicken meat off the bones and cut it into pieces. I am the only person in the family who doesn’t carry the “Cilantro Gene” so I left it out but will add some to my personal serving when it’s time to hit the leftovers tomorrow.
My father isn’t one for compliments on anyone else’s cooking so when he told me, “DON’T LOSE THIS RECIPE!” I knew we had a winner on our hands.
Loved this so much. I want to make it for a dinner party again when friends come over. May i ask what sides would go well with this dish? Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! This would pair nicely with this black bean and corn salad, roasted broccoli or a green salad with this dressing. Hope that helps!
Love how easy this dish is to make and how delicious it is. My son is looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow night…in fact, it might not last till then. I will be putting this into my dinner rotation.
Perfectly balanced, one-bowl dinner that left my family craving more. Easy to pull together and absolutely delicious!