Arroz con Pollo
Biweekly

Arroz con Pollo

1 hr
Serves 9
chickenriceLatin

Chicken thighs seared, then baked with rice, tomato paste, and sazón in a Dutch oven until everything is tender and fragrant.

The Story

Arroz con Pollo is one of those dishes that looks like you spent all day on it but really just needs a Dutch oven and a hot oven. The move is building it in layers — sear the chicken first to get color on it, cook down the onion and pepper in those same drippings, toast the rice with the tomato paste and spices until you smell it starting to catch, then deglaze with broth and get everything into the oven together. The rice absorbs the broth and the chicken juices as it bakes, and by the time it comes out it's all one thing. Sazón is the ingredient that makes it taste right — don't skip it.

Equipment

  • Dutch oven with lid
  • Oven @ 350°F

Ingredients

  • 8boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1medium onion, diced
  • 1bell pepper, diced
  • 3 clovesgarlic, minced
  • 3 tbspvegetable oil
  • 2 cupswhite rice
  • 1 cantomato paste
  • 2 tspcumin
  • 1 tspdried oregano
  • 2 tspsazón
  • 1/2 tspturmeric
  • 3 1/2 cupschicken broth
  • to tastesalt, pepper, garlic powder

Pudgy's Notes

Sazón is the key spice here — find it in the Latin foods aisle. Optional additions to stir in right after pulling from the oven: 1 cup thawed peas, 1 cup sliced Spanish olives, or both. Top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and let it melt into the rice while it rests.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Preheat oven to 350°F.

  2. 2

    Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Set aside.

  3. 3

    Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Sear the chicken thighs until browned on both sides, about 4–5 minutes per side — they don't need to be cooked through at this point. Reduce heat to medium-high, remove chicken from the Dutch oven, and let rest.

  4. 4

    In the same Dutch oven, cook the diced onion and bell pepper until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one more minute.

  5. 5

    Add the rice, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, sazón, and turmeric. Stir to combine and cook for about 5 minutes, until the mixture starts to brown on the bottom of the Dutch oven.

  6. 6

    Pour in the chicken broth. Scrape up all the fond from the bottom. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.

  7. 7

    Cut the rested chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Add them back to the Dutch oven and stir to combine. Cover with the lid and place in the 350°F oven.

  8. 8

    Bake for 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked through and has absorbed the broth.

  9. 9

    Remove from oven and let rest on the counter for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice and serve.

  10. 10

    Serve as a standalone meal with your favorite hot sauce.

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