Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice (Arroz con Pollo)

Enjoy Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice (Arroz con Pollo) by itself for a full delicious meal or served alongside habichuelas guisadas (Puerto Rican stewed beans) as this dish is traditionally served!

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Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice or otherwise famously known as Arroz con Pollo, is one of our most common and traditional dishes.

You can bet that you will find me making this rice dish at least once a week in my home with a side of habichuelas guisadas (Puerto Rican Beans) as it is traditionally served.

If you have never had Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice or always wanted to learn how to make Arroz con Pollo, make sure to save this recipe.

In under 45 minutes you will have one of the tastiest and filling rice dishes in your repertoire of rice dishes!

Most Puerto Rican Rice dishes are served and most delicious with Puerto Rican stewed beans (habichuelas guisadas) and a side of  platanos fritos (sweet fried plantains) or tostones (garlic fried plantains).

However, if you are short on time you will still love this rice dish on its own.

The flavors of the chicken cooking with the rice blend so well together and makes this rice hyper tasty on its own.

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Ingredients for Arroz con Pollo?

• a whole chicken or chicken pieces
• 2 ½ cups of medium or long grain rice (I always use medium grain)
• 3 tablespoons of sofrito
• salted pork fat, cut into small cubes (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 packet of Sazon with Annatto
• 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon of oregano
• 2 tablespoons of pimiento stuffed olives
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 tablespoons of oil
• 2 cups water
• ½ tablespoon of salt

Seasoning for Chicken

• adobo seasoning
• garlic powder
• oregano

Toppings

• fresh chopped cilantro
• red pimientos

How to Make Arroz con Pollo

1. Get all ingredients ready.
2. If using a whole chicken, cut up chicken and cut up chicken breast sections into one and a half inch chunks. Remove any extra fat from chicken.  Then rinse chicken.
3. Season the chicken with adobo, garlic powder and sprinkle with oregano.
4. Over medium heat, add oil to a large caldero or dutch oven. (Do not use a non stick pot).
5. Add the sugar to pot and stir for a minute so that the sugar dissolves and turns slightly golden.
6. Add the chicken to the pot except the chicken breast pieces.

Note:  I know it may seem strange to add sugar to the arroz con pollo but trust me on this step.

The sugar helps to bring out the flavors of the chicken into the rice and gives it a nice golden color.  Promise you will not taste the sugar!

Cook chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side.  (The chicken will finish cooking in the rice, this step is simply to start the chicken juices flowing and brown pieces a little.

Add the rest of the ingredients to pot with chicken.  (Pork fat, sofrito, tomato paste, sazon, chicken bouillon, bay leaf, oregano and olives).   With a large spoon, stir well.

1. While chicken and spices are sauteing, rinse the rice until the water runs clear.  If you would like to see an example of how to do this, check out my Puerto Rican yellow rice with corn recipe.
2. Add rice to pot, water and salt.
3. Raise heat to high.
4. Cook uncovered until rice dries out.
5. After rice has dried out, stir and cover immediately!  (have lid beside pot ready to cover or rice will stun and not cook properly).
6. LOWER heat to medium low.
7. Cook for 15 minutes.
8. Uncover pot, add chicken breasts pieces and stir again.  Cover immediately!
9. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, stir again.

Rice is done!

Top with red pimientos and fresh cilantro if you like and serve.

Hopefully you have also made the habichuelas guisadas to serve with this delicious Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice!

How to Make Arroz con Pollo in an Instant Pot

For an Instant Pot version and a slight variation of this dish, you may want to follow this recipe from Mommy’s Home Cooking “Easy Instant Pot Arroz con Pollo.”

For more delicious rice dishes, you will also love these:

Arroz Mamposteao (Dirty Rice with Beans)

Puerto Rican Rice (Puerto Rican Yellow Rice with Corn)

Puerto Rican Rice and Beans

Cilantro Lime Rice

Morisqueta

📖 Recipe