Arroz con Pollo - My Spin On A Family Staple

When my family gets together you can always count on two things being present, Arroz con Pollo and loud conversation that centers around past memories remembered fondly. My family is huge and we are all creatures of habit. Arroz con Pollo is a family staple and there is not a single celebration or family gathering with out it. My grandma and Tia from Costa Rica make Arroz con Pollo differently than my grandma from Puerto Rico does. Both kinds are delicious and I’ve taken them and recreated the two to make my very own version. I’m hoping to teach my daughters how to make this and keep this recipe going in the family.

The smells this dish fills my kitchen with is pure nostalgia. I can remember sorting dry beans at my grandma’s kitchen table while her Arroz con Pollo simmered on the stove. She used to watch me during the Summers when my parents had to work. She’d put me to work in the kitchen and when white onions hit hot oil I am immediately back to being eight years old. The smells of Arroz con Polla flood my mind with pictures of my entire family filing into my Tia’s tiny kitchen to grab a plate. It is funny, growing up I never really thought about myself making this iconic dish. Now that I’m all grown up, making my own Arroz con Pollo feels like a badge of honor! I love how food carries so much weight. To me, Arroz con Pollo is so much MORE than just rice and chicken.

This dish varies depending on what country it is coming from. I feel like most have some version of Arroz con Pollo that they call their own. Find my take below! It is fairly simple and I know your family will love it.

Arroz con Pollo - Rice & Chicken

What You Need; Makes about 6 hearty portions. 2 cups white rice, 4 1/4 cups water, 1 cup pigeon peas (or regular peas), 1 red bell pepper, 1/2 white onion, 1/2 jalapeno, 3 cloves garlic, 2 cooked chicken breasts, pinch of saffron, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1/2 tablespoon turmeric, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil, chopped cilantro for garnish

What You Do

-Start by prepping all your ingredients. I dice everything up the same size and cook two chicken breast in a bit of olive oil with salt + pepper.

-In a large pot or Dutch oven set on medium heat, warm olive oil. Add in the onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic. Sprinkle in a little salt and stir. Let these cook down and soften up a bit.

-Next add in your spice mix and stir. You’ll want to toast up the spices for a minute or two. Be sure to stir every few seconds so nothing burns.

-Add in your rice and stir. Again you want to toast your rice a bit. This will give your rice a nice nutty flavor. Adding everything one at a time helps develop the flavors along the way!

-Now you can add your pigeon peas and chopped cooked chicken. Here you can add regular peas or even diced carrots. And if my grandma saw that I cooked my chicken before hand she’d disapprove! But I think it works better this way and the dish comes together so quickly! Making it a perfect weeknight meal.

-Give your rice and chicken a hearty stir and then add in your water. You’ll want to bring it all to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer and cover to cook the rice. Let it cook covered on low heat for about 15 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is soft. Fluff with a fork and serve warm!

-Store any left overs in air tight containers for up to 3 days.