Arroz con Pollo dish is extremely popular in Cuba.. It’s fairly eassy to make and it’s a traditional cuban dish that is passed on by generations. Arroz Con Pollo basically means Rice with chicken.. The rice is slowly cooked with chicken breasts or thighs which allows it to soak up all the juices from the chicken, if done well it’s a delicious dish.
The base recipe is always the same however cubans love to improvise on this dish with a variety of vegetables and accompanied meats. A great versatile dish that can be served on any occasion.
How To Make This Arroz Con Pollo
Note: The skillet used in the pictures below is a medium size skillet and it came out great.. However I suggest you use a bigger skillet if the recipe requires 2 people or more.
1. The first thing you want to do is wash the rice.. Then put two tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet or pot and turn on the heat to high..
2. Sauté the chicken thigh for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until well seared and the skin becomes golden. Some people like to sauté the chicken thighs a little longer making the skin of the chicken a little more crusty.. Will leave that up to you.
3. Once the chicken is seared take out the chicken thighs and let rest in a plate until later. Now pour the garlic and onions in the same oil in the skillet to sear for about 2 minutes. The aroma will be very inviting..
4. When the onions and the garlic is seared pour in the chicken stock and canned tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Then add the washed rice, chicken thighs and mixed vegetables.. In this recipe I added chopped broccoli, green peas, and baby carrots. Add a pinch of Cumin powder, dry oregano, and the fresh chopped parsley with 2 or 3 pinches of salt then stir slowly to mix all the ingredients.
5. Now here comes an important step.. Once you added all your ingredients put the heat to medium or just below medium, put the lid on the pan and let rice and chicken slow cook for 45 minutes. Do not touch it.
6. After 45 minutes take it out of the stove top and let it settle for 5 to 10 minutes so all the juices blend together.. Pick up the lid after settling and it should look like this.. Now it’s ready to plate. Enjoy your Cuban style Arroz Con Pollo dish!
Recipe Ingredients
Serves Up To 4 People
1 1/4 cups of uncooked rice
4 Chicken Thighs
2 Cloves of Garlic minced
1/2 onion chopped
1 Can of tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup of chicken stock
Preferred Mixed vegetables
Pinch of Cumin powder
Pinch of dry oregano
Fresh chopped parsley
Add salt to taste
