Growing up in a Cuban family, we usually enjoy recipes made with rice often but this arroz con pollo is the ultimate one-pot meal.
Think fluffy yellow rice cooked in a tomato-based sauce with veggies and spices (sofrito!) and flavorful chicken thighs. Sometimes we like a more soupy arroz con pollo, other times we like a low-carb arroz con pollo.
Either way, this is the perfect Sunday dinner and I can wait to share it with you!
By the way, you can order chicken from ButcherBox to not only make arroz con pollo but also to make Cuban Pollo Asado (Grilled or Roasted Chicken), Cuban Pollo a la Plancha (Easy Griddled Chicken Breast), and Chicharron de Pollo (Cuban Fried Chicken Chunks).
Butcher Box is a service that curates boxes of grass-fed, no-hormone-added, humanely raised beef, chicken, salmon, and pork and, delivers it right to your door. I love getting my box delivered directly to me. There are always specials – like free bacon or free ground beef – you gotta check them out! Click here to find out more info on Butcher Box!
Every culture has its own variation of this traditional Cuban rice with chicken dish. For example, my family doesn’t use saffron in our arroz con pollo.
This is my Cuban mom’s classic arroz con pollo recipe. So, of course, it’s the BEST. I may or may not be biased though. ;)
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bone-in chicken thighs – Can you use chicken drumsticks? Of course, you can! Chicken thighs are the most flavorful in my opinion! You can even use chicken breasts but since they are more on the dry side, I don’t really recommend it.
- Onions, pimientos, garlic. Our Cuban sofrito!
- Long-grain white rice. Sometimes, this dish has been made with Valencia short-grain rice. Use what you have!
- Chicken stock + tomato sauce. Our liquid components for this recipe. If you were making arroz con pollo a la chorrera which is a more soupy version of this dish, you would add more liquid including beer.
- Annatto powder, Bijol, or turmeric. Any of these can be used to color the rice.
- Bay leaf, dried oregano, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper. Spices!
- Frozen peas. The finishing touch!
How To Make Cuban Arroz Con Pollo
Ready for the easiest one-pot meal?
- Season the chicken thighs. First, pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel then season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
- Brown the chicken. In a Dutch oven or large pot with a heavy bottom and a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat and brown both sides of the chicken. Transfer to a plate.
- Sauté the sofrito. In the same pot, add the remaining olive oil and sauté onion, garlic, and red pepper until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the rice, spices, and chicken. You then add the rice, chicken stock, tomato sauce, annatto powder, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil then add the chicken thighs to the mixture.
- Cook low and slow. Cover the pot or dutch oven with the lid and reduce heat to LOW. Cooking low and slow will ensure you don’t burn the rice. Every stove cooks differently so after 40 minutes, take a peek and see if the liquid has been absorbed. If yes, remove the pot from the heat immediately so it doesn’t continue to cook with the residual heat. If not, continue to cook in 5-minute increments until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Fluff + serve! Fluff the rice with a fork then stir in the frozen peas until warm. Serve with tostones or maduros.
When you’re done with this recipe, make my arroz con pollo a la chorrera (which is this arroz con pollo’s soupy cousin!).
Common Questions About Arroz Con Pollo
Why is the rice dense and/or sticky?
This happens when the rice is not rinsed/washed thoroughly and/or it was made with too much water. Make sure you follow the instructions exactly as listed.
Why is my rice crunchy and dry?
This is a result of overcooking the rice. Arroz con pollo should be more on the moist side than the dry side so be mindful of this.
Why did my rice burn or stick to the bottom of the pot?
First things first, make sure you cook the rice at LOW heat. Cooking low and slow will ensure you don’t burn the rice.
Every stove cooks differently so after 40 minutes, take a peek and see if the liquid has been absorbed.
- If yes, remove the pot from the heat immediately so it no longer cooks with the residual heat.
- If no, continue to cook at low heat in 5-minute increments until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender THEN remove the pot from the heat.
Also, make sure you use a Dutch oven OR a large pot with a heavy bottom and a lid (like this one). A thick, heavy bottom is sturdy and will retain heat well so it won’t overcook the rice.
Whenever I make this classic dish, my whole house smells like the epitome of home.
Fragrant, garlic, spices. The result is an aromatic, moist rice dish that is creamy and risotto-like with tender chicken thighs. TONS of flavor! Reminds me so hard of my childhood.
Best of all, leftovers taste just as good as the first day.
I hope this Latin staple becomes part of your weekly rotation.
Arroz Con Pollo (Cuban Chicken & Rice Recipe)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Pinch of salt, pepper, cumin for chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice rinsed and washed
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon annatto powder, bijol, or turmeric to color the rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- Salt + pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- First, pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel then season with salt, pepper, and cumin.
- In a wide Dutch oven or large pot with a heavy bottom and a lid, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Over medium heat, place chicken thighs in the pan and brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate.
- Next, add the remaining olive oil and sauté onion, garlic and red pepper, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the rice, chicken stock, tomato sauce, annatto powder, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper to the saucepan. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Bring to a boil then add the chicken thighs to the mixture. Reduce heat to low and cover with the lid.
- Cooking low and slow will ensure you don't burn the rice. Every stove cooks differently so after 40 minutes, take a peek and see if the liquid has been absorbed. If yes, remove the pot from the heat immediately so it doesn't continue to cook with the residual heat. If not, continue to cook in 5 minute increments until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove pot from the heat.
- Fluff the rice with a fork then stir in the frozen peas until warm. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
I was not compensated for this post however I was provided with the Staub cast-iron cocotte pictured above. All opinions are my own.
Ana says
Great recipe !
Ernesto R Silva says
Deliciosa….Muy Buena Receta !!
Adam says
Um so I googled this recipe based of an American TV show reference. This blog was the one I settled on.
100% recommend.
Im from a country town in Australia so I get spices by delivery and Latin food isn’t a thing here outside capital cities. (And even then).
This was amazing and actually easy as and delicious.
5 stars plus.
Margie Navarro says
Hi,
This sounds like the authentic idsh I grew up with – so will try it soon. How would I make thisfor about 50 people? Would this be doen in the oven?
Ralph Fragoso says
This comment is from an old cuban guy that grew up in Havana in a house with two excellent cooks (mother and grandmother) and a bunch of kids (sister, brother, cousins), The thing I remember the most, beside the great flavor of the dish, is the resulting lightly burnt rice on the bottom of the pan: how we kids ( and some of the adults) used to fight over the RASPA . Thanks to my mother, my american wife learned to cook a decent arroz con pollo (with a little raspa in the bottom.
Jamie Silva says
I absolutely agree, Ralph. The raspa is sometimes the best surprise at the bottom of the pot!
Andy B says
Thank you for the recipe; it was delicious. I am not much of a chef, but even still my first attempt at it was quite good, although the rice was a bit too soggy. For my second attempt, after consulting with a friend from Mexico, I used less chicken stock so that the chicken stock and the tomato sauce doubled the rice which was just about perfect. Recently, a local Cuban restaurant that I used to frequent sadly closed its doors, but now at least I do not have to miss their arroz con pollo quite as much. Hopefully, after making it a few more times, I’ll get my prep time down more in line with the 15 minutes!
Stephanie says
Recipe was a big hit !! I made a couple adjustments due to what I had at home, instead of chicken stock I used chicken broth (same ratio as recipe calls for) and I used Sazon Goya with Culantro and Achiote and it still turned out amazing. The only thing is my rice wasn’t yellow it was orange because of the Sazon I used but that didn’t bother me lol it was still delicious and we all went for 2nds or 3rds hahaha thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Jamie Silva says
So happy you loved it! For less orange rice (lol), you can maybe add a little less Sazon next time. Thank you for sharing your experience with us! :)
Stephanie says
Can you use Sazon Goya instead of Annatto?
Jamie Silva says
If it’s the one with Culantro y Achiote, yes!
Maggie says
I love the recipe. I did make a few minor changes.
1. I use 1 cup of the chicken stock and 1 cup of beer
2. I used breast instead of thighs. My husband won’t eat thighs
3. I used Sazón Goya con azafrán for the color
4. Valencia rice
It was perfect!!!
emma says
what can i use as a substitute for chicken broth cause i dont have any
Jamie Silva says
Do you have bouillon cubes? You can make chicken broth by crushing and dissolving 1 bouillon cube for every 8 ounces of water.
Stephers says
Hello neighbor! I’m in Naples & will be making this for College football games today.
My two cents….
I don’t think the rice burning is a ratio or heat issue. I have a love hate relationship with my Dutch oven. I love to cook sauces and soups in it but anything else I burn the crap out of it, ugh!
I love your site & recipes! I usually will just click “jump to recipe” link because some sites go on & on. I REALLY enjoy reading what you have to say & appreciate the short & simple! Also, in my head, I have the perfect Cuban accent while reading😬 but that’s ONLY in my head!
Jamie Silva says
Yes! I definitely make it a point to include helpful info within my posts. Thank you for your kind words!
ginger C says
Excellent recipe. Perfect spices. Easy to make and well worth it
Jamie Silva says
So happy to hear, Ginger!
Marissa says
Excellent recipe! I grew up in Tampa and have since moved away. One of the things I miss most is the delicious Cuban food! As such, I’ve been trying to learn the art of Cuban cooking. One of my favorite comfort foods is chicken and rice, and this recipe did not disappoint! I’ve now made it more than once and it’s absolutely delicious.
For those of you asking if you can use other cuts of meat, don’t! Bone in, skin on chicken thighs are very flavorful and really sets this dish apart.
Jamie Silva says
Yay! So happy you loved this recipe, Marissa! I, too, love me some chicken thighs, yum!
Sandra says
My mom always used a can/bottle of beer with the chicken broth.. It really made it taste great!
Adina Espinoza says
Delicioso!
Beth says
Is it possible to make this with chicken breasts?
Jamie Silva says
Yes, you can! You may however need to add a bit more liquid to avoid the chicken breasts from drying out. About 1/2 cup or so more. The result will still be moist and delicious!
Jackie says
Comfort food for sure! This has become a favorite of my 3 boys and husband. Whenever I need to cook a dish for an event, my sons request this. It is reminiscent of my father’s version. This is my “mom” dish my kids will remember as they grow up.
Jamie Silva says
Jackie, this warms my heart – thank you for sharing!
Willie Muñoz says
This recipe was delicious! So easy to cook. Everyone loved it! I added olives to the recipe. Thanks for posting!
Emme says
Plenty of leftovers if cooking for two. Followed the recipe and it worked out well. yes, there was a thin layer of burnt rice stuck to the bottom of my dutch oven, but the dish turned out great.
ChastineV. says
Great flavor, wonderful taste, easy to follow instructions. No leftovers. Very easy to prepare 👌 .
Thank You 😊
Carolyn says
I am making this for the second time. It’s very good. This time I added a can of drained and rinsed black beans and I use a can of fire-roasted tomatoes because I do not like tomato sauce. I also added carrots, celery, and a poblano! I just do my own thing but I used this as a guide. It is cooking now. Hopefully, the rice cooks well. I am a little nervous as I added so many extra things but I reduced the amount of stock because the last time I made it the rice was overcooked. It was still delicious though.
Marissa says
The flavor was excellent but my rice came out too dense and sticky (I’m sure I did something wrong). Any tips? If I can get the texture correct it will be perfect!
Jamie Silva says
Hi Marissa! Hard to say what went wrong without being present in the kitchen with you but I’d assume either the rice wasn’t thoroughly rinsed/washed or it was made with too much liquid. Glad the flavor was on point! :)
Ashley says
My family and I love this recipe but why do I keep burning the bottom of my dutch oven? the food doesn’t burn and I make sure to stir well before closing the lid and reducing the heat to low-med.
Thank You,
Ashley
Jamie Silva says
Hi! It could be that the heat was too high. Make sure to reduce the heat to low as you are simmering. I’ve made a note of it on the recipe. So glad you and your family love the recipe! :)
Chris Edwards says
Wow! This recipe is on point and right on. Totally loved it, followed recipe almost to a T. Eyed balled my spices and tasted but other than that I truly loved it! Thank you so much for sharing Jamie and now that I found you will be trying other recipes you have blogged or posted about. I’m a fan :)
Jamie Silva says
So happy you loved it, Chris! :)
Bailey Ingamells says
Ive made this in the past and it’s amazing! My husband has developed a tomato allergy. What would you recommend in place of the tomato sauce or just omit that step completely? Thank you!
Jamie Silva says
Hi Bailey, I’d probably just omit it altogether since I can’t think of any tomato substitutes. Just note, it will probably taste a bit different than when you originally made it.
Rachael says
Hi Jamie,
I’m planning this for dinner tomorrow night, but I live in Japan and only have access to traditional Japanese rice which tends to be pretty sticky when cooked. Do you think Japanese rice will still work in your recipe?
Jamie Silva says
Hmm, hard to say since I’ve never tried it before but maybe if you can add a bit less liquid, it will work! Try it out and let me know. :)
Tom K says
I made this last night, and it was delicious! The house still smells great from the cooking aromas. Next time, however, I think I’ll scale down the amount of rice; the amount of cooked rice in the dutch oven overwhelmed the four chicken thighs. Now I have a buttload of leftover rice that I have to think of a use for. Keeping the rice:liquid ratio the same, I’ll try 2 cups of uncooked rice to 3 cups of chicken stock.
Katie Garcia says
I cannot wait to try this recipe. My abuela made the best arroz con pollo, but unfortunately, dementia has erased all of her recipes. My father and I really want to make it for her, and see if it brings back any memories. We think she used chicken bouillon instead of stock. How can we modify to do this?
Jamie Silva says
I believe you can dissolve the bouillon in water but don’t quote me on that since I’ve never cooked it that way before. I’m sure it will turn out delicious either way! :)
Edwina says
My son is autistic and for some reason, adding cooking to a subject helps him remember what he’s been taught. Believe it or not, his economics teacher is having us make recipes to represent different economic systems, which I appreciate. So, he picked this recipe to represent Cuba from what I understand. While I would love to give your recipe a try, we also have a very picky eater that absolutely won’t eat rice! I’m really tempted to make the recipe anyway because it really looks delicious! But, to keep a war from happening, do you have a suggestion for another Cuban recipe we could make instead? Hopefully, the teacher will understand. If not, do I have to use bone-in chicken with skin? We have dogs in our area that get into the trash, so I prefer to cook with boneless chicken since chicken bones aren’t good for dogs.
Jamie Silva says
Hi Edwina! You can find all my Cuban-inspired recipes here: https://asassyspoon.com/category/recipes/cuban-inspired/ :)
Ashley Walker says
This recipe is fabulous! A staple in our house because it comes together so easily & makes the house smell amazing! It’s a real soul-warming dish. Highly recommend giving this a try!!
Jamie Silva says
So happy you loved it, Ashley!!
Kiyomi says
What kind of pot do you use? Trying to double the serving size for 8 people.
Jamie Silva says
I use a Dutch oven. Any large pot will work!
No says
Can I use chicken breast?
Jamie Silva says
Sure!
Alicia says
Does annato taste the same as turmeric?
I am Mexican and we don’t use that often mostly just tomato sauce or if we make paella I use saffron….so this is new to me. Thanks in advance
Jamie Silva says
It’s not really for flavor, its primary use is for giving the rice its beautiful color. :)
Tracey says
Flavor is great, but some of the rice is crunchy, not consistent all the way through, I even added more liquid & tried to cook a little longer. Still some harder grains. Maybe it’s me??? I’ve had this with other arroz con pollo recipes
Jamie Silva says
Hmm, could be maybe the pot you used? Not sure, it’s hard to tell when you’re not present when making the recipe. Glad you enjoyed it though! :)
Ashley says
Hello, what type/brand of tomato sauce do you use?
Danielle says
I made this for dinner last night and it was a hit!! Definitely will be added to the dinner rotation
Sylvia says
Both of my parents are Cuban so I grew up eating this and later cooking it for my family. My recipe is almost identical to yours except I’ve never used annato powder. I season with paprika, along with the other spices, and the paprika together with the tomato sauce color the rice yellow. I think it’s time to make some since it’s been a while :) Thanks for sharing
Jamie Silva says
Hope you love it! :)
Kris says
How low do you reduce the heat to? Low or medium?
Nate says
I made this tonight. It tuned out amazing. My family loved it. Even my 5 and 7 year old. I found Anatto Powder in the Asian and Spanish aisle at Walmart. It was where all the Goya brand stuff was.
One question, my rice came out a bit mushy. Maybe overcooked. I cooked it for 3”45 minutes exactly. Rinsed it first. Could my heat have been too high? Or is the rice supposed to be like this? Still, even with the rice texture seemingly a bit off, the flavors were incredible.
Oh and I was about a teaspoon short of Cumin but substituted it with Coliander.
Jamie Silva says
Hi Nate! Yes, the rice should be more on the moist side than the dry side. If it were over cooked, it would’ve been crunchy/dry. No bueno. Either way, I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it! Thank you so much!
Tasdebil says
I made this last night and it was fantastic. The flavor was outstanding and my wife loved it as well. This is definitely a dish that is on our permanent recipe rotation. I looked over your site and saved it to my cooking folder as there are quite a few more recipes to try. Thanks for sharing…..since it’s starting to warm up, the margarita cocktail recipe looks pretty tasty!!
Jamie Silva says
So happy to hear, Tasdebil! :)
Valia Coca Serafin says
I undetstand that the chicken must be cooked previously you add the rice, right? Is that part missing from the recipe? We used to cook the chicken in a stew and when soft put the rice and equal parts of liquid plus 1/2 cup extra. After that it would take about 20 minutes max to cook sow heat.
Jamie Silva says
Nope! You sear the chicken first and then you add it back in Step 4. :)
Krystle says
I have some questions . Can I add beans? Where can I find Annato powder? And do I wash the rice first?
Jamie Silva says
Hi Krystle, you can add beans. Annato powder is found in the spice section of any grocery store. You may also use turmeric powder if you prefer. Yes, always wash the rice first. :)
Tisha says
Jamie, Your recipe was a success! I had forgotten my mom’s recipe. I did substitute the thighs for chicken breast and added 1/2 cup of beer (mom’s secret) to the rice. To keep the meat moist, I cooked the chicken in butter and covered with a moist paper towel until it was time to add with the rice. My Cuban mom would have been so proud. Everyone had 2nds!!
JOISE says
Hi Jamie,
Can I use long grain parboiled rice instead of plain white rice? If yes, do I need to change the cooking time?
Thanks,
Joise
Jamie Silva says
Nope, the cooking time stays the same!
Janey says
How important is leaving the skin on? I have a pound of frozen skinless bone -in thighs that I’d like to use for this recipe. Thoughts?
Jamie Silva says
It would just be added flavor. It’s not absolutely vital for the skin to be on.
Manny says
Jamie,
The first time I made this, the rice at the bottom of the pan burned pretty badly. Most of it was salvageable. Is there any way to avoid this?
Jamie Silva says
Hi Manny, you can try removing the pot from the heat as soon as the timer hits. This will prevent any residual heat from burning the rice. Hope that helps!
Malvern Mathis says
Can this be baked in the oven?
Jamie Silva says
No, I’d highly recommend to make this on the stove.
Sergio says
For me 45 minutes on medium low (more low than medium) resulted in the rice sticking and burning. Not in a socarrat pleasant way. Leaving that behind, it’s super good.
Simon says
What worries me is the ratio of rice to chicken stock 1/1. All rice dishes i know are 2/1 (2 liquids one rice). Also, are you sure as long as 45 minutes? All my rice dishes takes about 12 minutes. I’m going for it this evening. If it turns out that my fears are justified you are in big trouble-:)
Jamie Silva says
The recipe has been tested many times so don’t worry. Let me know how it goes, Simon!
Rachel says
Same here!! I’m going to trust it this time! I hope it’s not a waste! It looks so good!
Jessie says
Are the chicken thighs bone-in/skin-on? Or boneless/skinless?
Jamie Silva says
bone in, skin on :)
Joanne Hoschette says
What is annatto powder? What can be substituted for it?
Jamie Silva says
Annatto powder is what gives the rice it’s color. You can substitute it for turmeric.
RW says
To add to Jamie’s comment: outside of Florida and maybe New York, annatto powder is often found in the Mexican food section of your grocery store as “Achiote molido” (I live in California and always scratched my head about “Bijol” in Cuban recipes– then someone told me “it’s achiote!” and the light went on).
This recipe looks great. I have made a similar recipe using saffron instead of achiote and throwing it in the Instant Pot. Expensive thanks to all the saffron, but o Dios mío, ¡qué rico estuvo! For those who worry about the low amount of liquid– don’t forget about the tomato sauce and all the liquid in the sofrito. The cook who threw in a little beer probably had a slightly more stew-ish preparation, but I bet it was delicious! Once you have the technique down, you can go nuts!
Michelle says
Jamie, this looks so delicious! My mouth is watering! I really need to add more Cuban recipes to my repertoire, and this is gonna be on the dinner table soon! :)
Jamie Silva says
So glad to hear! Thank you! :)
Cristina says
Delicious recipe of arroz con pollo thank you, the only thing I added extra was beer to the requested fluid and cilantro!
Nancy says
Hola soy de Havana. I also added olives, did beer & chicken broth & Jasmine rice. On stove top 40ish minutes. Delicioso! We were raised eating this dish!