Arroz con pollo is definitely a throwback dish that reminds me a lot of my mom. She loved making arroz con pollo during a busy workweek and now that I’m older, I definitely understand the appeal behind it. The seasoning, chicken, and rice all goes in one pot and you can feed a hungry family in no time with this flavor-packed and comforting dish. Mom would usually make a small pot of stewed beans to go with the rice, but I like having it with tostones and a simple green salad.

This is my take on her version of this popular Puerto Rican version which is why I’m using chicken breasts instead of bone-in chicken. Normally, I would use boneless skinless chicken thighs but I’ve grown to prefer using chicken breasts in this recipe since they get nice and shredded once you mix everything up before serving. You can use bone-in chicken pieces if you like (she enjoyed using drumsticks) but if you do, just adjust the cooking time to make sure the chicken is cooked through. Whatever is clever!

Arroz con Pollo (Rice and Chicken)

Cook time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4-6

1lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small chunks

1.5 tsp homemade adobo spice blend (recipe available in mini e-book, see note)

Large pinch sazón spice blend (recipe available in mini e-book, see note)

Vegetable oil

1/4 cup Simple Sofrito

1/4 cup diced pimentos, drained

2 tbsp capers, drained

1 tbsp garlic paste (optional)

1 cup long grain rice

2 cups water or unsalted chicken broth

2 small bay leaves

Sazón spice blend, to taste

Cilantro, finely chopped for garnish

Note: I make my adobo and sazón blends from scratch so I know how much salt goes into them. Since the blends contain many spices, the salt isn’t the first thing you taste when you use it. If you’re using store bought (which is totally fine!) just scale back to 1 teaspoon since they tend to be heavy on the salt (check the ingredients and see which ones are listed first). When seasoning meat, a good rule of thumb to keep in mind is using 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat. It’s a foolproof way to get well-seasoned and not over-salted meat every single time.

In a medium mixing bowl, season the chicken breast with adobo spice blend, sazón, and a little bit of oil to coat the chicken. Toss together and set aside. Let the chicken come close to room temperature for even cooking, about 15 minutes to get the chill off.

Next, add enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of a caldero or large pot and heat over medium heat. Working in batches, cook the chicken until it’s white on the outside. You don’t have to cook the chicken all the way through at this point since it’s going to finish cooking with the rice itself. Set the chicken aside in a clean bowl to add back to the pot once all of the chicken pieces are cooked off.

Once all of the chicken is partially cooked, add the sofrito to the same pot, scraping up all the good brown bits on the bottom. Then, add the diced pimentos, capers, and garlic paste, stirring to make sure everything is well combined. Sauté until the sofrito is fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Then, add the chicken back to the pot and stir well, making sure all of the chicken pieces are coated with the sofrito mixture.

Add the rice to the pot, stir well to coat the grains, and then add the water or chicken broth and bay leaves. Sprinkle with a large pinch of sazón spice blend and bring up to a boil. Once the rice is boiling and the water has evaporated from the pot (you’ll see the little bubble pockets), stir once, turn the heat to low, and then cover with a tight-fitting lid so the rice can finish steaming. Steam the rice for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes is up, taste the rice and season with more sazón blend if needed. Garnish with more diced pimentos and chopped cilantro and serve with tostones (twice-friend plantains) and a simple green salad.

¡Buen provecho!