This version of Arroz con Pollo is a comforting one-pan meal that is packed with the flavors of Latin America–and lightened up just enough. The ultimate weeknight dish!
I’ve been on a one-pan-meal kick lately. Whether it’s Lemon Chicken and Rice or Louisiana Chicken Pasta, you really can’t beat a comforting meal that only requires one dish to clean at the end of the night.
When I was brainstorming more one-pan dinners, Arroz con Pollo immediately came to mind. It’s a dish that I always gravitate to when I see it on a menu, especially during the winter months.
The warm spices and juicy chicken, along with perfectly cooked rice, is the ultimate cozy meal.
HOW TO LIGHTEN it up
Just a couple of tweaks here and there makes this dish a little bit lighter without sacrificing flavor.
I use chicken breasts instead of thighs or drumsticks. Thighs are more forgiving to cook, but if you follow my directions, I promise you won’t have overcooked chicken. It’s all about getting just a sear on the breasts for flavor, then letting them simmer in that luscious sauce.
I also found that a lot of traditional recipes called for tons of oil, which really isn’t necessary. The spices and vegetables give the rice plenty of flavor without the added fat.
HOW TO MAKE ARROZ CON POLLO
If you’ve made my Lemon Chicken and Rice, then you’ll be familiar with this process. It’s just as easy and delicious, but with slightly different ingredients.
It’s important that you use long-grain white rice here. Either Jasmine or Basmati will do. That’s the key to making this come together seamlessly. The rice is some of the best you’ll ever taste!
You’ll start by searing your seasoned chicken breasts. DO NOT cook them all the way through. Just a minute or two on each side, over high heat, will do it.
Set the chicken aside, then add in your chopped veggies. To make this process go quicker on a weeknight, chop your veggies a day or two before. That will turn this into a 30-minute meal!
After the veggies have cooked a bit, you’ll add in your rice and liquids. Nestle the chicken on top, cover, and simmer way. That’s it! Add in the frozen peas in the very end, and you’re ready to serve this up.
I like to serve it family-style, right out of the pan. Bring the skillet to the dinner table, and be ready to impress your family/friends with this easy dish.
Enjoy!
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Arroz con Pollo
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 3 large chicken breasts, cut in half (about 2 pounds)
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like extra spice)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
FOR THE RICE
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/4 cup long grain white rice
- 2 cups fat free chicken broth
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce (4 ounces)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1/4 cup cilantro, minced (optional, for garnish)
- lime wedges (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over high. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne.
- Spray pan with cooking spray. Sear chicken over medium-high heat until brown but not cooked through, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan to a plate.
- In the same pan, lower heat to medium and add onion. Sauté until slightly browned, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add in bell peppers and garlic. Continue to sauté until veggies are soft, about 5-7 minutes.
- Mix in rice. Stir and sauté until rice is coated with mixture and slightly translucent, about 3-4 more minutes.
- Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, and salt. Bring to a boil, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. When liquid is boiling, lay chicken on top of the liquid/rice mixture.
- Cover the skillet, lower heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice is just cooked through.
- Remove pan from heat. Stir the frozen peas and let sit for a minute to allow the peas to thaw.
- Sprinkle rice with chopped cilantro and lime wedges, if desired. Serve one piece of chicken with 1 cup of rice mixture.
Hi! If you wanted to make this with brown rice what would you recommend in terms of changing the directions? Thanks!
Hi, Jin! You’d need to cook the brown rice at least twice as long, so I’d hold off on putting the chicken in until halfway through that process.
Yum! The flavors were amazing, and I love how many veggies were in the dish. It also makes a large pot so plenty of leftovers for lunch this week.
This recipe is absolutely delicious! So much flavor! I’ve made it twice now, and both times my husband asked me to put this into our regular menu rotation. The first time I made it, we were babysitting our young grandchildren, so I left out the cayenne. I told them it was called ‘Encanto Chicken’ (named after the Disney movie), and they gobbled it up! The leftovers heat up well, too!
I LOVE the name “Encanto Chicken” – it just sounds magical, haha. Glad everyone liked it!
If I used success brown rice would I need to cook it twice as long?
I haven’t made it with success brown rice before. Is it different than traditional brown rice? Since this recipe was developed using long grain white rice, you would want to adjust the liquid content and time. Might take some trial and error, but definitely use the back of the rice package as a resource. Enjoy!