Arroz con Pollo
This Arroz con Pollo is one of the recipes I make way too often, and yet I never get bored of it. It’s a one-skillet marvel, packed with a ton of flavor. Chicken cooked with rice in a saffron and white wine sauce, studded with olives, pimentos and green peas. Once you try it for yourself, you’ll want to make it again and again. It’s a great dish to keep up your sleeve though because it’s sure to impress everyone you make it for.
This dish is one of those that just gets better with age. So if you don’t have company coming over, the best part is that you can make it for yourself and the leftovers will be even better later on. I recommend making the full recipe even if it’s just for one or two.
Arroz con Pollo
All you need is one pot to make this delicious Arroz con Pollo. It's packed with flavor and comes together quite easily. Serve with a quick salad and enjoy!
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Shallow dutch oven
Ingredients
- Larch pinch saffron
- ½ cup dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
- 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken legs and thighs about 8 pieces
- Coarse Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium brown onion diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup jarred piquillo or roasted red bell peppers chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
- 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup pimento-stuffed green olives drained
- ¾ cup frozen peas thawed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a small measuring cup or bowl, add the wine and sprinkle in the saffron. Set aside and allow to steep until ready to use.
- Season both sides of the chicken liberally with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Place a large shallow skillet (with a tight fitting lid) over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Once hot, add in half of the chicken in a single layer. Cook until browned on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. The chicken doesn’t have to be fully cooked, we’re just looking to brown it at this point. It’ll continue to cook later on. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and brown the rest.
- Once the all the chicken has browned, add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until softened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir in the pepper and tomato paste and cook until deep red in color, about 1 minute. Add the rice and bay leaves and cook for another minute or so to develop the rice’s flavor. Stir in the wine saffron mixture and cook until almost evaporated completely, making sure to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer. Nestle in the chicken and sprinkle with the olives on top.
- Cover and transfer to the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven, remove the lid and sprinkle the top with the peas. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!
