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I made this last night and it was delicious! My husband doesn’t like olives which is too bad, because the jalapeno stuffed olives were a fabulous touch! I was excited to see the new recipe posted yesterday and decided to make it straight away for dinner same night – so glad I did! I’m looking forward to the leftovers for lunch! I didn’t really vary from the recipe and it turned out just great – thank you!
Elaine Reed
Arroz con pollo?! Arroz con pollo!
It’s a staple for many, but it’s new to me as of this fall, and it has immediately become a chilly-weather favorite that has me excitedly hauling out the big heavy Dutch oven every Sunday afternoon. I am hooked.
Rich and savory with tomato flavor, juicy chicken, tender rice, lots of herbs and spices, plenty of lime juice, and (at least in my kitchen) a handful of jalapeño-stuffed green olives – it is a complete 180 from the mild and creamy chicken and rice that I grew up with, and it is wonderful in its ability be both comforting and also spicy and bright all in one complex bite.
I think I made it three times in three back-to-back weeks, so yes, it is forsurely on the recipes-that-need-to-be-made-more-than-once list.
Watch How To Make This Recipe:
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We loved this recipe – the whole fam, including toddler (although I left the spicy olives out for her portion) – and I really don’t think there could be any happier mealtime moment than the one where you open the lid on this steaming pot of comfort food as you settle in around the table on a fall or winter evening.
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Arroz con pollo is a traditional Latin American dish that translates to “rice with chicken.” There are variations in how it is made depending on where in the world you are eating it – Spain, Puerto Rico, or Latin America. I made this version based off the arroz con pollo recipe in the Saveur The New Classics cookbook which is one of my favorite cookbooks of all time. I made some changes to the ingredients and method to save some time and adjust it to my tastes, all of which are noted below! It’s worth noting that this version is missing the often-used annatto because I don’t keep it stocked in my pantry. For something more traditional, here’s a recipe for a lightened up version of the Colombian arroz con pollo that my friend Gina from Skinnytaste grew up with.
Common Questions About Arroz Con Pollo
The Saveur cookbook version I was inspired from has you soaking the rice for an hour before starting – but I always skipped this step and still loved the end results! The Saveur version also included annatto, corn, and capers. I skipped all of those in this version just due to personal preference.
I tried freezing this (after cooking) and thawed it overnight in the fridge. It was good, but a little dry. If you do this I would recommend adding some liquid to bring it all back to life again.
Sure! You could try capers instead of olives here.
Chicken broth or use a non-alcoholic beer!
Arroz Con Pollo
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Rich and savory Arroz Con Pollo with delicious tomato flavor, juicy chicken, tender rice, lots of herbs and spices, plenty of lime juice, and a handful of jalapeño-stuffed green olives. Bright and spicy and comforting!
Ingredients
- 2–3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (divided)
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, ribs and seeds removed, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- one 12-ounce bottle light beer
- one 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
- one 12-ounce jar green olives (I LOVE jalapeño stuffed green olives for this!)
- a handful of chopped fresh cilantro
- a few squeezes of lime juice
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the chicken, season with 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook for 8-10 minutes, flipping once, until cooked through. Remove from the pan. When cooled, roughly chop or shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Turn the heat down on the pan. Add the garlic, shallot, jalapeño, and pepper to the same pan. Sauté until soft and fragrant, scraping the browned bits off the bottom, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add the tomato paste, spices, thyme, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt; sauté for 2-3 minutes, until deep red.
- Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Add beer; simmer and let it reduce for a few minutes. Add canned tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf; bring to a low simmer.
- Stir in chicken and rice; bring to a low simmer. Cover with a lid and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove lid and fluff with a fork. Stir in olives, cilantro, and lime juice. Season to taste and ENJOY your masterpiece!
Equipment
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → - Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Latin American
Nutrition Facts
- Daily value: 14% Total Fat 11g
- Daily value: 18% Cholesterol 54.5mg
- Daily value: 44% Sodium 1013.4mg
- Daily value: 8% Total Carbohydrate 20.7g
- Daily value: 12% Dietary Fiber 3.3g
- Sugars 4.2g
- Daily value: 29% Protein 14.4g
- Daily value: 6% Vitamin A 50.1µg
- Daily value: 33% Vitamin C 29.9mg
- Daily value: 20% Iron 3.5mg
- Daily value: 10% Potassium 451.4mg
- Daily value: 13% Phosphorus 158.5mg
Keywords: arroz con pollo, chicken and rice, dutch oven recipe, comfort food
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of delicious rice recipes. Check it out!
The flavors and colors were delicious! I made a few adjustments after reading the comments: (1) stovetop cooking only; (2) spicy chicken broth; and (3) brown rice, which requires a longer cooking time (about one hour on medium or low-medium).
I am going to make this soon for guests in a cast iron Dutch oven. Would it be just as good in a Dutch oven that is not a cast iron Dutch oven? Also. Could I use store bought roasted chicken.
Different and new recipe for me. I will try this.
This recipe was awesome! So yummy tasting . I loved it and I got soooo many compliments on this delicious meal.
I substituted white wine (about 8 oz) instead of the 12-oz beer, since I’m gluten free.
Great recipe, a little more soupy than traditional arroz con pollo, but changing things up is a good thing! What pray tell is a
Serving? A cup, a cup and a half? help
This was everything I wanted it to be! Limey, bright but also rich and comforting. I added zucchini and frozen corn for more veg.
Flavor was too much for me beacuse I have stomach problem. Otherwise another great meal.
Do you drain the jar of olives before adding?
Yes, we drained them!
I accidentally had a few missing/subbed ingredients and even so, it was so tasty. Can’t wait to make it again with everything called for. So cozy and delicious.
Can you please write your recipies in grams too… instead of the American/English measurement system…
Oh and a Dutch Oven is called (in the Netherlands) a “braadpan”
Thanks Anouke
How could this be made in and instant pot? I searched on your site and didn’t see a recommendation.
Hi Deidra! We haven’t tested this recipe in the Instant Pot yet, so we don’t have instructions at the moment. Here’s an Instant Pot Arroz Con Pollo recipe that you could try: https://www.feastingathome.com/instant-pot-arroz-con-pollo/
I made this last night and it was so delicious! I had to make my own “allspice” blend with nutmeg and cinnamon, and I subbed dried oregano for the fresh thyme. Still turned out so flavorful and different than the normal creamy chicken & rice that I’ve made.
Olives were delicious but left them out of my husbands portion and he still liked it a lot!
What beers do you recommend?
We used Corona in this recipe!
Thanks. We used Corona! It was good and husband-approved.
But as I was going through the steps, I was a little confused by the directions “bring to a low simmer” 2 times in a row. Should it say bring to a boil first instead?
Great question, Vanessa! You should continue simmering throughout step 4 and beginning of step 5. We apologize for the confusion!
Made this last night and it was PHENOMENAL – so flavourful! We used chicken breasts as it was all we had on hand and it turned out great. Cooked the chicken in the instant pot so I could multi task and sauté the aromatics/veggies simultaneously.
The only thing I would change next time would be to halve the amount of olives or use larger ones. We were finding we had one or multiple olives per bite when we really just needed one every couple bites. Otherwise, fantastic!
We love this dish and find it makes great leftovers. I don’t have a Dutch oven so, I cooked this in a large pot and when it was time to transfer to the oven, poured the mixture into a casserole dish and covered tightly with foil. I ended up needing to add 10 minutes to the baking time, but it turned out wonderfully!
Would time need adjusting for chicken breasts?
In step 1, the chicken breasts may take slightly less time to cook, but only by a minute or 2!
thank you for the quick reply!
Very good! I don’t like olives so wish I had added in black beans and corn to make it a bit more interesting.
Those sound like great substitutes!
How much is a serving?
I made this tonight and it is sooo delicious. Will make this again for certain.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Marcy!
Made this tonight, and it was a hit! Everyone loved it, and I know I’ll be making it again soon. Those olives are killer!!!
So happy to hear it was a hit!
Tasty recipe with lots of color. I used a darker beer and it was great. It took me longer overall to cook just due to prep, chicken cooking, and bringing everything to simmering several times.
Thanks for the feedback!
I accidentally had a few missing/subbed ingredients and even so, it was so tasty. Can’t wait to make it again with everything called for. So cozy and delicious.
This looks so heavenly! I absolutely love how colorful and easy this looks to make. Arroz con Pollo is one of my comfort foods and you make it seem so easy to make. Can’t wait to try this recipe out, this fall is going to be great!
We hope you love it!
I don’t have a dutch oven, so I cooked this entirely on the stove and it turned out great! Rather than baking it for the last 30 minutes, I kept it simmering (covered) on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until most of the liquid was absorbed and the rice was cooked through.
So happy it worked out for you on the stovetop! Thanks for sharing, Sarah!