Arroz Con Pollo Recipe

Marinate chicken

Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. In a large bowl combine minced garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, olive oil and lime juice. Rub the mixture all over the chicken thighs, under skin where possible. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Brown chicken

Heat a large (12-inch) ovenproof skillet or heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs olive oil. Place chicken thighs skin-side down and sear until skin is deep golden brown, about 5–7 minutes. Flip and sear the other side 2 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and reserve rendered fat in the pan.

Make sofrito

Reduce heat to medium. If pan is dry, add 1 tbs olive oil. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add diced red and green bell peppers and cook 3–4 minutes until slightly softened. Stir in chopped tomato (or crushed canned), annatto (if using) and half of the chopped cilantro. Cook, stirring, until tomato breaks down and mixture is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp of the reserved marinade juices from the chicken bowl if available.

Toast rice and add liquid

Add the rinsed rice to the sofrito and stir to coat grains with oil and vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes to slightly toast the rice. Pour in 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth and add the bay leaf. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Nestle chicken and simmer

Return the seared chicken thighs to the pan, placing them skin-side up and slightly pressing them into the rice so they are partially submerged in the liquid. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, reduce heat to low so the surface of the liquid is barely moving.

Cook covered

Cover the skillet tightly with a lid or foil and cook for 18–22 minutes without lifting the lid, until rice has absorbed most of the liquid and is tender. At 15 minutes, quickly scatter the frozen peas over the rice (do not stir) and recover — the steam will cook them. Check doneness at 18 minutes; if rice is still firm and liquid remains, continue 2–5 more minutes.

Rest and fluff

When rice is tender and chicken registers 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part, remove pan from heat and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove lid, discard bay leaf, and gently fluff rice around the chicken with a fork, mixing in the peas.

Season and serve

Taste and adjust seasoning with the additional 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper as needed. Sprinkle remaining chopped cilantro over the top and serve with lime wedges alongside. Serve directly from the pan so each portion gets chicken and rice together (this dish does not come with an additional order of rice).