Arroz con Pollo
A rice-and-chicken dish tracing to Spanish colonial cooking — often called 'poor man's paella' — and made across nearly every Spanish-speaking Latin American country, each with its own regional stamp; this is genuinely shared heritage, not a uniquely Cuban invention. The Cuban version is defined by achiote or bijol for its golden color instead of saffron, a sofrito of onion, garlic, and green pepper, and a splash of beer or dry white wine in the broth, finished with green olives and pimientos.
Meat
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs and legs
- 2 cups long-grain rice
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp achiote oil or 1 tsp bijol
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or beer
- 1/2 cup green olives
- 2 tbsp pimientos, sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup peas (optional)
Steps
- Brown the chicken in a large pot, then remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, sauté the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until softened.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, achiote oil, cumin, and oregano.
- Return the chicken to the pot, add the stock, wine or beer, and bay leaf, and simmer 15 minutes.
- Stir in the rice, cover, and cook over low heat until the rice has absorbed the liquid, about 20-25 minutes.
- Fold in the olives, pimientos, and peas near the end and let rest a few minutes before serving.