Arroz Con Pollo
Arroz con pollo?! Arroz con pollo!
It’s a staple for many, but it’s new to me as of this fall, and it has immediately become a chilly-weather favorite that has me excitedly hauling out the big heavy Dutch oven every Sunday afternoon. I am hooked.
Rich and savory with tomato flavor, juicy chicken, tender rice, lots of herbs and spices, plenty of lime juice, and (at least in my kitchen) a handful of jalapeño-stuffed green olives – it is a complete 180 from the mild and creamy chicken and rice that I grew up with, and it is wonderful in its ability be both comforting and also spicy and bright all in one complex bite.
I think I made it three times in three back-to-back weeks, so yes, it is forsurely on the recipes-that-need-to-be-made-more-than-once list.
Watch How to Make This Recipe:
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We loved this recipe – the whole fam, including toddler (although I left the spicy olives out for her portion) – and I really don’t think there could be any happier mealtime moment than the one where you open the lid on this steaming pot of comfort food as you settle in around the table on a fall or winter evening.
More Cozy Dutch Oven Goodness
- 10 Easy Recipes You Can Make in a Dutch Oven
- Miracle No Knead Bread (an every-soup necessity!)
- Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits (classic comfort food but weeknight friendly)
- Sunday Chili (truly for any day of the week)
- Super Easy One Pot Lasagna (lasagna with cream cheese: yes)
Arroz con pollo is a traditional Latin American dish that translates to “rice with chicken.” There are variations in how it is made depending on where in the world you are eating it – Spain, Puerto Rico, or Latin America. I made this version based off the arroz con pollo recipe in the Saveur The New Classics cookbook which is one of my favorite cookbooks of all time. I made some changes to the ingredients and method to save some time and adjust it to my tastes, all of which are noted below! It’s worth noting that this version is missing the often-used annatto because I don’t keep it stocked in my pantry. For something more traditional, here’s a recipe for a lightened up version of the Colombian arroz con pollo that my friend Gina from Skinnytaste grew up with.
Common Questions About Arroz con Pollo
The Saveur cookbook version I was inspired from has you soaking the rice for an hour before starting – but I always skipped this step and still loved the end results! The Saveur version also included annatto, corn, and capers. I skipped all of those in this version just due to personal preference.
I tried freezing this (after cooking) and thawed it overnight in the fridge. It was good, but a little dry. If you do this I would recommend adding some liquid to bring it all back to life again.
Sure! You could try capers instead of olives here.
Looks fabulous! Fall weather looks like it’s going to officially arrive in my neck of the woods this weekend. Looking forward to having a hearty and delicious rainy day meal.
We hope you love it, Janet!
Do you put the rice in cooked or uncooked?
I had the same question, but I believe the rice is uncooked when you add it. (She mentions how some like to soak the rice for an hour beforehand, and that wouldn’t be needed if the rice were cooked already.)
Love the look of this recipe! I’m just starting out with cooking and don’t have many supplies- and I don’t yet have a Dutch oven. Any recommendations or success doing this in a crockpot or instapot? Thanks!!
Hi Kayla! We haven’t tested this recipe in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot, so we can’t say for sure if it would work. You could check out these links for Arroz Con Pollo recipes written specifically for those cooking methods! http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/269113/slow-cooker-arroz-con-pollo-chicken-rice/ https://www.feastingathome.com/instant-pot-arroz-con-pollo/
I just made this recipe tonight. It was delicious and packed with flavor! I do not have a Dutch oven so I improvised and made it in a cast iron skillet covered tightly with foil. Turned out great!
So happy to hear it worked out in a cast iron skillet! Thanks for sharing!
This looks so flavorful! Would it be possible to make vegetarian by using chickpeas, tofu, etc. and veggie broth?
Hi Christian! Your substitutions sound amazing! We’ve never tried making a vegetarian version of this dish. We would love to hear how it goes if you give it a shot!
I was wondering the same thing. I’m wondering if tempeh and beans would be a nice replacement, or even musrooms.
Woah, so I’ve lived in Colombia and my family’s arroz con pollo was way simpler and BORINGGGG. So this looks like an amazing & more flavorful version, really excited to try it!
We hope you love it, Lindy!
Made this for dinner tonight! My husband (Louisiana native) dubbed it “Mexican Jambalaya.” Can’t say he’s totally wrong, but it is delicious!
So happy you liked the recipe, Shannon!
No, no, no. This is not arroz con pollo – Please don’t call it that. Arroz con pollo is originally from the Caribbean islands – we don’t use jalapeño. The base of the arroz con pollo is using something called sofrito which is made from scratch by blending cilantro, recao, sweet red peppers, onions, garlic (this sofrito or cilantro base is used in the beginning, not at the end like you did). Then using anatto sazon and adobo for the seasoning of the chicken, as well as a bit of cumin and a bit of oregano -(We never use as much cumin as you used) You also put a spoon of tomato sauce or tomato paste. Put a few olives in to cook with the rice, not after. Also, do not put the pot of rice in the oven, it will come out too sticky and watery as I see yours came out – it should be fluffy which just a bit of stickiness – not watery.
She literally mentions in the article that this is not a traditional arroz con pollo. It is oooookay to take traditional recipes and switch them up for easiness, personal taste, and access to ingredients. Have you ever had kung pao chicken from an American Chinese restaurant or pesto made with walnuts instead of pine nuts? How dare you?! Seriously though, calm down lol.
My husband and I both hate olives, but I really want to make this! Do I need to substitute the olives with something or just leave them out?
Same question here…my husband HATES olives.
Hi Danielle! You could try capers instead or just leave the olives out.
Everything looked awesome until you got to the green olives, could you use black olives instead or another substitute ingredient? I’m definitely going to try it out.
Hi Janet! You could try capers instead or just leave the olives out.
looking very tasty, very curious about taste.
Looks delicious and will definitely try it but please correct the spelling ->>> It’s COLOMBIA, not Columbia!
Thanks for the catch! Updated!
What do we replace the beer with?
Sue, we haven’t tested the recipe with a replacement for the beer, but we think white wine or more chicken broth could be good substitutes!
I used a non alcoholic beer that we had on hand and it was still so flavorful!
Wondering about that too. Would love to make this non-alcoholic. More broth maybe?
Can this be done in an Instant Pot?
Hi Marie! We haven’t tested this recipe in the Instant Pot so we can’t say for sure. Here’s an Arroz Con Pollo recipe specifically for the Instant Pot that you could try: https://www.feastingathome.com/instant-pot-arroz-con-pollo/
Hi! Is there something to replace the beer with? My husband has celiac disease and beer has gluten in it. Thanks in advance— I will definitely be maning this once I find a substitute for the beer!
Hi Evie! We haven’t tested this recipe with a beer replacement, but we think white wine or more chicken broth could be good substitutes!
This looks amazing, but I would love to make it less spicy. Would doing half the jalepeno make it milder but still flavorful?
Hi Natasha! The ribs and seeds of jalapenos hold all of the spiciness. So if you completely remove/scrape out those, the dish will be milder!
Could you use brown rice? If so, would time adjustments need to be made?
Hi Meg! We haven’t tested this recipe with brown rice, but it should work out fine. Brown rice generally takes a bit longer than white rice. You could try extending the cooking time by 10-15 minutes.
I lived in South Texas for several years growing up in the 70s, and I remember my mom making arroz con pollo all of the time in her electric skillet. It was one of my favorites, so I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks for the comment, Aline. We hope you like it!
I made this tonight and thought it was delicious and so easy! I was worried about the rice getting too mushy, which often happens with baked rice dishes. I used basmati rice which held its own very well and didn’t overcook! I also added an extra jalapeño because I like a little more spice. Very flavorful!
So happy to hear that, Erika!
I made this last night and it was delicious! My husband doesn’t like olives which is too bad, because the jalapeno stuffed olives were a fabulous touch! I was excited to see the new recipe posted yesterday and decided to make it straight away for dinner same night – so glad I did! I’m looking forward to the leftovers for lunch! I didn’t really vary from the recipe and it turned out just great – thank you!
So happy you liked the recipe, Elaine!
Followed exactly used long grain white rice. At 30 minutes not even close to ready. Minimum 45 minutes. 1 year old oven took 50 -55 minutes.
Thanks so much for reporting back on the cooking time, Barb!
I just made this last night and it came out perfect! Had the right amount of spice and flavor. Would definitely make it again!
So happy to hear that, Neil!
I doubled this recipe and it was not ready after 30 minutes…was like soup 🙁
Hi Jaime, sorry to hear that. Hoping that it came out well after adding more cooking time. Thanks for the feedback!
I don’t have a dutch oven, so I cooked this entirely on the stove and it turned out great! Rather than baking it for the last 30 minutes, I kept it simmering (covered) on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until most of the liquid was absorbed and the rice was cooked through.
So happy it worked out for you on the stovetop! Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
This looks so heavenly! I absolutely love how colorful and easy this looks to make. Arroz con Pollo is one of my comfort foods and you make it seem so easy to make. Can’t wait to try this recipe out, this fall is going to be great!
We hope you love it!
I accidentally had a few missing/subbed ingredients and even so, it was so tasty. Can’t wait to make it again with everything called for. So cozy and delicious.
Tasty recipe with lots of color. I used a darker beer and it was great. It took me longer overall to cook just due to prep, chicken cooking, and bringing everything to simmering several times.
Thanks for the feedback!
Made this tonight, and it was a hit! Everyone loved it, and I know I’ll be making it again soon. Those olives are killer!!!
So happy to hear it was a hit!
I made this tonight and it is sooo delicious. Will make this again for certain.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Marcy!
How much is a serving?
Very good! I don’t like olives so wish I had added in black beans and corn to make it a bit more interesting.
Those sound like great substitutes!
Would time need adjusting for chicken breasts?
In step 1, the chicken breasts may take slightly less time to cook, but only by a minute or 2!
thank you for the quick reply!
We love this dish and find it makes great leftovers. I don’t have a Dutch oven so, I cooked this in a large pot and when it was time to transfer to the oven, poured the mixture into a casserole dish and covered tightly with foil. I ended up needing to add 10 minutes to the baking time, but it turned out wonderfully!