A Cuban classic, Arroz con Pollo or Chicken and Rice is a one pot meal that has it all. Beautifully seasoned rice, colorful vegetables, juicy chicken pieces, the works.
½pound(about ½ bunch) asparagusrinsed, trimmed and cut into 1-inch long pieces
1(113 gram / 4 ounce) jar chopped pimentosdrained
1cup(135 grams / 4.75-ounces) peasfresh or frozen
¼cuptomato paste
3large garlic clovespeeled and mashed into a paste
1 ½tablespoonskosher saltor more as needed
1teaspoon(1 cube) chicken bouillon
¾teaspoonground achiote/annatto seeds or Bijol seasoning
½teaspoondried oregano
½teaspoonfreshly ground nutmeg
4cupswater
1(12-ounce) bottle of pilsner-style beerdivided
3 ½cups(665 grams / 1 pound and 7.5 ounces) Valencia or similar short-grain ricerinsed
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in an ovenproof, 6-quart heavy pot or Dutch oven until hot but not smoking.
Working in batches, brown the chicken on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set aside the browned chicken and repeat with the remaining pieces.
Remove the browned chicken from the pot. To the residual oil in the pot, add the chopped onion and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes over medium heat until softened.
To deglaze the pot, add the white wine and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits. Add the asparagus, pimentos, peas, tomato paste, garlic, and spices and stir to thoroughly incorporate (the tomato paste will need a little attention to dissolve). Stir in the water and half the beer. Give it a taste and add more salt if needed. Return the chicken pieces to the pot. Bring to a simmer.
Stir in the rice and simmer over medium to medium-low heat for 10 minutes without stirring. Remove the pot from direct heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and place in the preheated oven. Bake until the rice is tender but still moist, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately pour in the remaining beer.
Notes
You can use any combination on bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks, or even breasts for this recipe. Make sure to trim off the excess fat (there is often a lot on there) before weighing your chicken pieces.
Bomba rice, Valencia rice, or other short or medium-grain Spanish rice is required for this Cuban arroz con pollo recipe. I use Calasparra rice which is similar to bomba rice, but is typically a bit less expensive than bomba. They're starchier than other varieties of rice and absorb a lot more liquid.
If you want to make this Cuban chicken and rice dish gluten-free, you can omit the beer or try a gluten-free beer instead of the traditional pilsner.
Even though in English we translate this dish to "chicken and rice," in Spanish it's really "rice and chicken." This is a very rice-forward dish. Each portion will have a generous amount of seasoned and vegetable-studded rice along with a piece of chicken.