Alexandra Hill

arroz con pollo

Alexandra Hill
arroz con pollo
 


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It’s Hispanic Heritage Month!

My mom was like you need to put this recipe up! This is one of my favoriteeeeee recipes I had growing up. My mom made versions of this all the time, from bone in chicken thighs, to a whole chicken cut up to boneless skinless chicken thighs, this was a staple in our house!

This was the dish we made for my first in person cooking class so it’s even more special to me! This is a traditional Puerto Rican dish made with lots & lots of sofrito and tons of flavor! This is a super fool proof recipe that I love cooking so much and I think you will too. Try it below and let me know what you think!

A couple of tips:

I like to use parboiled rice which technically means half cooked. Parboiled rice absorbs moisture better so you’re not left with “wet” rice. My favorite brand is Carolina Gold Parboiled rice.

Saźon is a key ingredient here! It’s a spice blend made up of grounded achiote seeds, this is where the arroz con pollo get its iconic color. In addition to achiote seeds it has tons of spices like cumin, onion powder & garlic powder. I’ve been trying my absolute best to stay away from Goya Saźon because it has a ton of preservatives & lots of sodium which is not good for us people of color! My favorite brand of saźon is Home Beis Tradicional Sazon Blend. It’s made without preservatives and no salt so you can really control your intake and Woman of Color owned!

If you want to add even more flavor, I like to add even more sofrito (my homemade blended version) to it. Below’s recipe you are chopping it but I like to make a huge batch and keep it for future use.

Try it below and let me know what you think!
Arroz Con Pollo – makes 4-5 servings

  •   ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces

  • 1 cup sofrito, roughly (recipe below)

  •  1 cup white rice (uncooked & parboiled white rice - my favorite is Carolina Gold)

  •   1-2 tablespoons sazon con coriander y achiote (I like @yourhomebeis salt free traditional spice blend) or you can use Goya (I would use 1 and 1/2 packet)

  •  2 bay leaves

  • 2 cups chicken stock (I like to use 1 & 1/2 cup of chicken stock and add more if necessary)

  • kosher salt & pepper to taste 

  • Sofrito (makes 1 cup)

  • ½ red pepper, finely chopped

  •  ½ green pepper, finely chopped

  • ½ Spanish onion , finely chopped

  • 4 garlic cloves , finely chopped

  • ½ cubanelle green pepper (Italian Pepper)

  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

  • Directions

  • Season your boneless, skinless chicken thighs with salt, pepper & some everyday seasoning like adobo - this has garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin & coriander in it. I like to season the chicken at least 4 hours before cooking.

  • Over medium heat, cover pot with one tablespoon or so with extra virgin olive oil

  •  Sauté the sofrito minus the cilantro for 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Season with salt & pepper

  • Add chicken thighs that have already been seasoned 

  • Add 1 cup of rice, combine everything together

  • Add the sazon & 2 bay leaves, combine everything together

  • Add 1 & 1/2 cup of chicken stock

  • Taste the stock and see if it needs more salt or pepper

  •  Bring to a boil, once boiled bring down to low heat and cover

  •  Let cook until rice is tender, about 25 minutes

  • When the rice is cooked, add the fresh cilantro at the end for a pop of freshness!

    ENJOY!