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Arroz con Pollo

Name: Arroz con Pollo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Ingredients: 2 lbs chicken pieces; 2 cups rice; 1/4 cup sofrito; 1 packet sazon con culantro y achiote; 1 cup tomato sauce; 2.5 cups chicken broth; 1/2 cup olives; 1/2 cup peas; 2 tablespoons oil; Salt and pepper to taste

The weeknight workhorse of Puerto Rican cooking — one pot, chicken and rice, deeply flavored with sofrito and sazon.

45 minutes Medium

By Josh Ortiz·August 2026·8 min read

Arroz con pollo is the weeknight workhorse of Puerto Rican cooking — one pot, chicken and rice, deeply flavored with sofrito and sazon. It's the dish that proves comfort food doesn't need to be complicated. While arroz con gandules gets the spotlight at holidays, arroz con pollo is the everyday hero — the dinner that comes together in under an hour, feeds the whole family, and leaves everyone reaching for seconds. The chicken gets browned first for flavor, then nestled into seasoned rice with olives and tomato sauce. As it simmers, the rice absorbs all those incredible flavors, and the chicken becomes fork-tender. It's the kind of meal that fills the whole house with that unmistakable boricua aroma, and it's just as good reheated the next day.

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What is Arroz con Pollo?

Arroz con pollo is a one-pot chicken and rice dish that's a staple across Latin America, but the Puerto Rican version has its own distinct character. It starts with bone-in chicken pieces — thighs and drumsticks are traditional — browned in a heavy pot until golden. The fond (those caramelized bits on the bottom) becomes the flavor foundation. Sofrito is sautéed next, followed by sazon and tomato sauce, creating a vibrant red-orange base. Rice is tossed in to coat, then chicken broth, olives, and the chicken pieces go back in. After a 25-minute simmer, peas get folded in for color and sweetness. The result is a pot of fluffy, deeply seasoned rice with tender chicken pieces nestled throughout — every grain infused with sofrito and sazon. It's simpler than arroz con gandules but no less satisfying.

Ingredients

Scale recipe:

6 servings

Serves 6:

2 lbs chicken pieces — bone-in, skin-on thighs and drumsticks. The bones add flavor and keep the chicken moist during the long cook.
2 cups long-grain white rice — rinsed until water runs clear.
1/4 cup sofrito — the aromatic base that makes everything taste Puerto Rican.
1 packet sazon con culantro y achiote — for color and that signature flavor.
1 cup tomato sauce — adds richness and a touch of acidity.
2.5 cups chicken broth — low-sodium so you can control the salt.
1/2 cup manzanilla olives with pimento — briny pops throughout the rice.
1/2 cup frozen peas — added at the end for color and sweetness.
2 tablespoons oil — vegetable or olive oil for browning.
Salt and pepper to taste

Step-by-Step Instructions

Season and brown the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large caldero or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces for about 4 minutes per side until golden. They don't need to be cooked through — just get a good sear. Remove and set aside.

Sauté the sofrito. In the same pot with the chicken fat, add the sofrito. Cook for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the sazon and tomato sauce, cooking for another minute until everything is combined and fragrant.

Toast the rice. Add the rinsed rice to the pot and stir until every grain is coated in the sofrito-tomato mixture. Let it toast for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. This step prevents mushy rice.

Combine and simmer. Pour in the chicken broth, nestle the browned chicken pieces back into the rice, and scatter the olives on top. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cover tightly and cook for 25 minutes without lifting the lid.

Add peas and serve. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, scatter the frozen peas on top and replace the lid. After 25 minutes total, remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, serve family-style straight from the pot.

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Tips for Perfect Arroz con Pollo

Use bone-in chicken. Skin-on, bone-in thighs and drumsticks stay moist and add tremendous flavor to the rice. Boneless chicken will work but the dish loses depth.
Brown the chicken well. That golden sear creates fond on the bottom of the pot — it's the flavor foundation for the entire dish. Don't rush this step.
Don't lift the lid. Same rule as arroz con gandules. Steam cooks the rice evenly. Every peek releases precious moisture.
Add peas at the end. They only need 5 minutes to heat through. Adding them too early turns them mushy and dull green.

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Frequently Asked Questions

You can, but you'll lose some flavor from the bones. If using boneless thighs or breast, reduce the browning time to 2-3 minutes per side and add them back to the pot later in the cooking process — they cook faster than bone-in pieces and can dry out if simmered too long.

Long-grain white rice is the standard. Jasmine rice works too and has a slightly more fragrant aroma. Avoid short-grain or medium-grain rice — they're too starchy and will make the dish sticky rather than fluffy. Always rinse the rice before cooking to remove excess starch.

Absolutely. Diced bell peppers (any color) can be sautéed with the sofrito. Some people add cubed potatoes at the same time as the rice so they cook through. Corn kernels are another popular addition. Just keep the total vegetable volume reasonable so the rice still has enough liquid to cook properly.