The best comfort food for the weekend! Rice with chicken made Cuban-style with lots of spices, flavorful chicken thighs, and fluffy yellow rice.
Growing up, this was THEE Sunday meal in my family.
The ultimate one-pot meal; the best comfort food.
Arroz con pollo is a classic Cuban-style rice with chicken dish made with lots of spices, tomato sauce, flavorful chicken thighs, and fluffy yellow rice.
SO GOOD.
Every culture has their own variation of this traditional dish but no matter which type of arroz con pollo I’ve tried, they’re all delicious.
This recipe is my mom’s so of course it’s the BEST. I may or may not be biased though. hehe
Just look how good that looks!
Whenever I make it, my whole house smells of fragrant rice, garlic and spices.
Reminds me of my childhood.
Leftovers taste just as good as the first day. I’d even make this for meal prep too. Why not eat this deliciousness all week long, right? It’s an easy one pot dish.
Above all, I hope this Latin staple to become part of your weekly rotation.
I know you will freaking LOVE it!
If you’re looking for a lighter version of this recipe with the same bold flavors, try this recipe.
Cuban-Style Arroz Con Pollo
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4-6 chicken thighs
- Pinch of salt, pepper, cumin for chicken thighs
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups uncooked extra long grain white rice (you can use Valencia rice too)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon annatto powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and cumin. In a hot large pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Over medium-high heat, place chicken thighs in the pan and brown on both sides. Set aside.
- In the same pan, add remaining olive oil and sauté onion, garlic and red pepper, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Add rice, chicken stock, tomato sauce, annatto powder, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat.
- Add chicken. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add frozen peas, stirring until warm. Fluff rice with fork, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
SHOP THE RECIPE
This post is sponsored by All-Clad. I was not compensated for this post, but was provided with the pan pictured above. All opinions are my own. This page also contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on one of the product links above and complete a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I will never place a link nor make a recommendation on a product or service that I don’t love or use personally. Thank you for supporting and keeping A Sassy Spoon, sassy. ;)
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! :)
So glad to hear! Thank you! :)
What is annatto powder? What can be substituted for it?
Annatto powder is what gives the rice it’s color. You can substitute it for turmeric.