Arroz con Pollo
Arroz con pollo is chicken and yellow rice cooked together in one pot with sofrito, tomato, and broth. Peas and roasted red peppers go on at the end for color. Scale the people count in the app to 2, 4, 6, or 8 — ingredients adjust from this base of 4 servings.
Open interactive cooker (change people count)
Food safety
Keep raw chicken away from other ingredients and wash hands, tongs, and boards after handling it. The browned chicken finishes cooking in the rice, so check that the thighs reach 165°F. Cool leftover rice quickly and chill within 2 hours (1 hour if above 90°F).
Allergens: None listed
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large deep skillet with lid
- tongs
- wooden spoon
- knife
- cutting board
- instant-read thermometer
Ingredients (for 4 servings)
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups medium-grain or long-grain white rice
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, sliced
Directions
1. Pat the chicken dry and season with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Wash your hands and the board after handling the raw chicken.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken skin side down 5 to 6 minutes, flip, and brown 3 minutes more. Move it to a plate — it is not cooked through yet.
3. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat. Wash the bell pepper, then cook the onion and pepper over medium heat 5 minutes. Add the garlic, turmeric, and cumin and cook 1 minute.
4. Stir in the rice to coat it, about 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, broth, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.
5. Nestle the chicken skin side up into the rice. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook 25 minutes.
6. Scatter the peas over the top, cover, and cook 5 to 10 minutes more, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
7. Check the thickest thigh with an instant-read thermometer, not touching the bone. It must read 165°F; if not, cover and cook a few minutes more.
8. Top with the roasted red peppers, rest covered 5 minutes, and serve.
9. Cool leftovers in shallow containers and chill within 2 hours (1 hour if the room is above 90°F).
Skill taught
Cooking rice in seasoned broth together with chicken in one covered pot.
Affordable substitution
Use chicken drumsticks or a family pack of thighs; turmeric is a low-cost stand-in for saffron.
Optional variation
Add 1/2 cup sliced green olives with the broth.
Leftovers & storage
Cool and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (within 1 hour if above 90°F). Store at 40°F or below. Reheat to 165°F until steaming hot.
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