You really can't beat Arroz con Pollo as a one-pot dinner -- with minimal effort you get a savory meal that is far superior to your local takeout options.
There's something so satisfying about plopping everything in a pan and letting the heat of the stove do all the heavy lifting. All while you chill out on the couch 🙂
I take an extra step in this recipe by brining the chicken, but keep in mind you can always skip that step for an even faster, more couch-friendly version.
How To Make Arroz con Pollo -- Mexican Chicken and Rice
A quick swim in saltwater can do wonders for chicken and I've been brining chicken nearly every time I cook with it lately. Brining will help keep it moist during the cook, and more importantly, it makes it taste better!
For this recipe that meant brining 5 bone-in chicken thighs in 2 quarts of cold water with 1/2 cup Kosher salt dissolved in it.
Cover these and let them chill out in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. It doesn't matter exactly how long you brine them -- I usually just play it by ear and grab 'em when I'm getting hungry 🙂
Keep in mind that you can use just about any cut of chicken for this recipe, you can even use boneless breasts if that's what you have available.
While the chicken is brining I usually put the tomatoes in the oven to roast. This will sweeten them up just a bit before we blend them into the sauce.
When you feel the hangry coming on, remove the chicken from the brine and pat it dry.
Pre-heat a deep skillet or saucepan over medium-high and add a big glug of oil, 2-3 tablespoons worth.
Brown the chicken on both sides -- I usually brown it skin side down first.
Don't try to get the skin super crispy as it has absorbed some of the brine and won't crisp as readily -- the above pic took about 5-6 minutes to get a slight crisp on the thighs.
As the chicken browns you can build the tomato-jalapeno mixture. Add the following ingredients to a blender:
the roasted tomatoes
1/2 small onion
1 jalapeno
2 garlic cloves
Give it a good whirl and feel free to add more jalapeno if you want your Arroz con Pollo fiery. I like this dish best when the heat is subtle, and a single jalapeno seems to do that quite well.
Once the chicken is browned you can remove the thighs from the pan, setting them aside.
Add 2 cups rice to the same pan and let it cook over medium heat.
It will start to absorb some of the awesome chicken flavor that's leftover in the pan. Perfect!
When the rice starts to turn opaque and light brown you can add the tomato-jalapeno mixture from the blender.
Let this cook for a couple minutes and then add:
3 cups stock
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano What is Mexican oregano?
1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
freshly cracked black pepper
salt (optional)
Bring it to a boil and now the all important taste testing, mostly checking for salt level. The thing is....
The exact amount of salt you need will depend on which stock you use. Sometimes I use homemade chicken stock that has zero sodium so I have to add a heaping teaspoon of salt to this dish. Conversely, if you're using store-bought stock then you may not need to add any salt at all.
So once this mixture is up to temp be sure to take a taste, adding salt if you think it needs it. It should already be quite flavorful at this point so don't eat it all!
When your happy with the salt level, add the chicken to the pan.
Bring this to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes.
And now the best part...
Taking off the lid and seeing how your awesome one-pot meal has transformed is so satisfying! Something about seeing how the rice has fluffed up around the chicken gets me every time 🙂
Here's how this batch looked after 20 minutes or so....
Once you confirm the liquid is fully absorbed you can remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let sit in its own steam for a few minutes.
First things first...
Take a taste of the rice.
It's easily some of the best rice you'll ever eat. For realz.
It's been cooked in chicken fond, stock, some fat from the chicken skin, and the roasted tomato mixture. It is off the charts and you'll have loads of it when starting with 2 cups uncooked rice.
Serve up your chicken over a bed of the UNREAL rice and all is well in the world for a few minutes.
I topped this batch with freshly chopped cilantro but you can consider this optional.
Okay I hope you try out this Arroz con Pollo. It's the very definition of comfort food and I think you'll be amazed at how savory it can be despite so little work!
Feel free to get creative with your epic rice over the coming days. You can use it in so many tasty ways: burritos, tacos, tostadas, or even just mixed with some black beans.
Enjoy!
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Mexican Chicken and Rice -- Arroz con Pollo
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs. chicken (I used 5 bone-in chicken thighs)
- 2 cups uncooked rice
- 3 cups stock (or water)
- 3 plum tomatoes
- 1/2 small onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
- 0-1 teaspoons salt (to taste)
- freshly cracked black pepper
- freshly chopped cilantro (optional)
- olive oil
Instructions
- I usually brine the chicken, but keep in mind this step is optional if you want a faster version. Add 2 quarts of cold water to a large mixing bowl along with 1/2 cup Kosher salt. Mix well to dissolve the salt and then add the chicken thighs. Cover and let brine in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
- Rinse and de-stem 3 plum tomatoes. Roast the tomatoes in the oven (400F) for 30 minutes or until you need them.
- Remove the chicken pieces from the brine and pat dry. Pre-heat a deep skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat and add a big glug of oil, 2-3 tablespoons worth. Once the oil is hot you can add the chicken, browning both sides for a few minutes each. I usually start with the skin side down, cook until the skin is browning, then flip and cook the underside for another few minutes. Once browned, you can remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Note: if you brine your chicken the skin may not crisp up as readily as it has absorbed some of the saltwater.
- Add 2 cups uncooked rice to the pan that you used to brown the chicken (the chicken has been set aside for now). Cook the rice for a few minutes over medium heat, stirring regularly.
- As the rice is cooking, add the following ingredients to a blender: the roasted tomatoes, 1/2 small onion, 2 garlic cloves, and 1 jalapeno. Combine well. For a milder version you can use less jalapeno.
- When the rice is turning opaque and light brown in color you can add the blended tomato-jalapeno mixture. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring regularly. Then add the remaining ingredients: 3 cups stock, 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional), freshly cracked black pepper, and salt (optional). Bring it up to a boil and do some taste testing. The exact level of salt to be added will depend on which stock you use. If using store-bought stock you may not need to add much salt at all. If using water you'll probably need to add a heaping teaspoon of salt. Taste test and add pinches of salt until this mixture tastes good to you.
- Add the browned chicken to the pan. Bring it up to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Once all the liquid is absorbed by the rice (usually somewhere around the 20 minute mark) you can remove it from the heat and let it sit in its own steam for a few minutes, covered.
- Serve up your chicken pieces over a bed of rice and optionally top with freshly chopped cilantro.
- Store leftovers in the fridge where they will keep for a few days. The rice is dee-licious, feel free to use it over the coming days in burritos, tacos, tostadas, or even just mixed with some black beans. Enjoy!
Notes
Check out the latest post here: What Else Can I Make with Cilantro? 9 Mexican Recipes.
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Stephanie
Smells heavenly as it cooks and an excellent outcome! Do you recommend a particular type of rice? Just love your website….great recipes, instructions and education! Thank you! 🌶️
Patrick
Thanks Stephanie! I usually default to plain ol' long grain white rice I guess for its neutral flavor, but there's leeway on the rice type. Cheers.
Abel G
Came out excellent
Patrick
Thanks Abel!
River Rojas
I haven't tried making your arroz con pollo recipe, but just reading how and what ingredients to use, it sounds scrumptious already but after I do make it you can bet that I'll be writing to you again.. River
Patrick
Yeah go for it River, I come back to this dish regularly and really like it. Cheers.
Bonnie
I love this recipe and had never roasted the tomatoes first. Just one question - EVERY time I make it the rice sticks and almost burns (in fact one time I totally ruined the entire pot of it.)
I’m using a cast iron skillet. Should I be using something similar to a Dutch oven instead? This is one of my husbands FAVORITE meals and I want to get it right.
Patrick
Hey Bonnie, so glad to hear you like this one as much as I do! It sounds like either the heat is too high or it's cooking for too long. Can I ask....once you add the browned chicken back to the rice mixture are you simmering it on low heat for the rest of the cook? And are you using gas or electric?
DC
I made this for my monthly writers' group meet up and man, was it ever popular! No need to add any extra salt because the chicken was brined and I used homemade stock from a store-bought roasted chicken. I was lucky to bring home one serving of leftovers for myself to have the next day! Thanks for another great recipe, Patrick!
Patrick
Ahh good to hear this DC! That is one lucky writers group 🙂
Heather
Your recipes never disappoint me. Wow!! I wish I had know about brineing chicken sooner. So much more flavor.
Thanks for another great recipe:)
Patrick
Ha thanks Heather, I remember thinking the same thing once I discovered brining chicken. It should be taught in school 🙂
Teresa
Hey Patrick! I made this last week, and I unfortunately, put to much chicken in.
But today I just wanted some good Mexican rice, so I just made that, following your recipe. Oh My Goodness!!! Was unbelievable!! I can't get over how your recipes turn out better than the one authentic Mexican restaurant we have here. I did add some cilantro to that tomatoes and pepper mix, cause I love it so much. And you always say add or keep out what you like and don't. It was so good, and I'm grateful for your recipes!!! Thank you!!
Patrick
Thanks much Teresa, so glad to hear you like that rice as much as I did! Cheers.
Chris
Have just made this, it was absolutely delicious! Thank you very much!
Chris
Patrick
Ahh good to hear, so glad you tried this one Chris! Cheers.
Sara
Outstanding recipe. My mom used to make this with saffron added in but I never had the recipe. I’m so happy to be making it again! Thanks for sharing!
Patrick
Thanks much Sara, I hope you enjoy it! Cheers.
Lydia
Thank you Patrick for sharing this recipe! You make it sound so incredibly delicious!! I will definitely make this! 😋
Patrick
Yeah go for it Lydia, I think you'll enjoy it. Cheers.