Learn how to make traditional Cuban arroz con pollo just like Abuela. Easy, comforting, and packed with flavor!
Want to see exactly how Abuela’s Arroz con Pollo comes together? Watch the step-by-step video below to follow along with us in the kitchen. From searing the chicken to that golden, flavorful rice — this video will walk you through every step.
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What is Cuban Arroz con Pollo
Cuban Arroz con Pollo is simply rice, chicken, built on a traditional sofrito. This recipe is a touchstone of the Cuban menu. As with all major Cuban recipes, this one starts with sofrito. Sofrito is a combination of onions, peppers and garlic seasoned with things like paprika, cumin, oregano and fused together with tomato sauce.
Cuban Arroz con Pollo is a dish that is commonly made and is a reflection of the way Cubans love to make a lot of delicious food with a few simple amazing ingredients. The rice and chicken somehow transform into an enormous pot of one of the most heartwarming things you can make.
Don’t be Scared! It’s a Great Recipe to Try
Cuban Arroz Con Pollo is a pretty intimidating dish to someone who just started cooking. We have all been there. However, the good news is, it’s a lot easier than it seems. This recipe is very forgiving of mistakes. This means, if anything goes wrong you can just make adjustments and still end up with something pretty delicious. So we would definitely suggest giving it a try.
This recipe also has a lot of places for you to “make it yours”. Arroz con Pollo has many different variations. This means that there are many places throughout the recipe that allow substitutions or techniques. Some people enjoy their Arroz con Pollo on the drier side, and others like it “a la chorrera” which means a little soupier. This recipe calls for Poblano or Cubanelle peppers, but if you only have red peppers or like to use green peppers – then that’s your chance to make this yours!
Want all the flavors of Arroz con Pollo but a little on the lighter side? Try Our Cauliflower Arroz con Pollo
Our Tips for Making the Perfect Cuban Arroz con Pollo
This specific Arroz Con Pollo recipe is from Ani’s Abi Rosy. Abi Rosy is really just her mom’s best friend, and is actually not a pro in the kitchen. However she did make this incredible arroz con pollo. Abi, like so many Abuelas out there, lives to feed her grandchildren and enjoys that undeniable pride from mastering great traditional recipes like this one.
As with most great traditional recipes, there are so many interpretations and different ways to make this. Everyone has their own preference or way of going about it. Our biggest and best tip is that you use this recipe as a “guide”. We highly encourage you to find ways to make this your own. Whether that means you make it on the dry side, or you use beer instead of Vino Seco. We want you to make it and make it YOURS!
- For example, some people like to use white meat, others darkmeat, or bone in meat for cooking. There are some people who like the rice to be very dry, and others who like more liquid or “asopado” in our house. There is no right or wrong. We would tell you, to use whatever cut of chicken you want and make the rice as dry or as wet as you want.
Depending on how much food we are making, we love to use THIS pan or something similar when making a dish like this.
We just want you to make it. Enjoy!
Try Some of Our Other Favorite Cuban Recipes
Cuban Arroz Con Pollo
Course: EntreeCuisine: CubanDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes50
minutesIngredients
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut crosswise into 3 even pieces
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, each cut in half
2-3 skinless chicken legs (drumsticks)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 large yellow onions, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 cubanelle OR poblano pepper, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/8 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup of extra Virgin olive oil (I like carbonell and colavita), plus 2 tablespoons
4-5 cups of chicken bone broth
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 packet of Sazon “seasoning with achiote”
1 teaspoons of bijol (for color and flavor),
1.5 cups of Valencia rice, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
1 cup of vino seco, I like the brand Artañan (oro). If you can’t find this brand a dry white wine will work too.
2 -3 tablespoons of green olives, I like manzanilla or pitted castelvetrano olives (add in a little bit of brine too)
1/2 cup frozen peas
Lime wedges for serving
Directions
- Once the rice has been rinsed and drained add it to a bowl with 1 teaspoon of bijol and 2 cups of the broth. Stir together so the rice is submerged in the liquid and the bijol is dissolved in the broth. Set aside.
- Place chicken on a sheet tray and dry the chicken well with a paper towel Sprinkle the chicken with 1/8 cup of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- In a LARGE non-stick or ceramic skillet heat to medium high. Sear the chicken on both sides evenly for 5 minutes on each side and place on a plate and reserve until we are ready to use again. You do not want to cook the chicken all the way through.
- In that same pan (without cleaning) add the remaining olive oil with the onions. Season the onions with salt and pepper and cook until translucent (5-7 minutes). Once the onions are cooked through, add the peppers. Season the vegetables with sazón, add your bay leaves and cook until tender, about another 5 minutes. Then veggies to a side of the pan and add garlic to the open space, and cook until slightly golden.
- Once garlic is golden (2-3 minutes) Add tomato paste, vino seco, and 2 cups of broth. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken. Cook all together for about 3-5 minutes on high. Then cover lower heat to medium low and cook for about 25 minutes covered. Make sure the lid is tight.
- The chicken should be falling apart. And you can break it up with tongs to shred slightly. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasoning as needed. Add it back to the pot if you removed it to shred.
- Raise the heat. Add the rice along with the broth it was soaking in. Time to check the liquid in the pot. If everything is just barely under the liquid, add one extra cup of broth or water. If everything is completely submerged, then you can proceed.
- Bring the pot to a boil for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly. Give it one more good stir, then cover, lower the heat, and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
- If the rice is too dry for your taste, and you like it “a la chorrera” add in an extra cup.
If your rice is slightly undercooked (still hard), add another 1 cup- 1.5 cups, stir it, cover it again and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. - Add the olives peas, and parsley and serve immediately
Recipe Video
Notes
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