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Home » Comfort Food » Arroz con Pollo

January 1, 2019 By Sara 79 Comments

Arroz con Pollo

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This recipe for Spanish Arroz con Pollo is a one pot meal that’s full of tender chicken thighs, creamy saffron rice and vegetables – the perfect quick and easy dinner!

I’m all about simple dinners, and this chicken and rice dish is a complete meal in just one pot. You can customize your Arroz con Pollo to meet your family’s taste by adding different vegetables and seasonings.

Arroz con Pollo Recipe | Chicken and Rice Recipe | Spanish Chicken #chicken #rice #onepot #dinner #dinneratthezoo #glutenfree Arroz con Pollo Recipe | Chicken and Rice Recipe | Spanish Chicken #chicken #rice #onepot #dinner #dinneratthezoo #glutenfree

A pan of arroz con pollo with chicken thighs, saffron rice and peas.

Here I am again, coming back at you with yet another one pot meal. This time I’ve got an amazing recipe for Spanish Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with Rice). The chicken and saffron rice are cooked together along with some red peppers, onions and peas to make a delicious meal that’s fancy enough for company but easy enough to whip up on a busy weeknight.

What is Arroz con Pollo?

Arroz con Pollo translates to chicken and rice, and is a very popular dish in both Spanish and Latin American cuisines. It is similar to paella and contains chicken, yellow rice and vegetables. In Spain, the rice is colored yellow with the spice saffron. In Latin American countries, annatto is used to make the rice yellow.

How do you make Arroz con Pollo?

This recipe starts with bone in, skin on chicken thighs which are cooked to golden brown, then combined with rice, saffron, chicken broth and vegetables. Everything goes into a covered pot and bakes until the chicken is tender and rice is fluffy. Add a sprinkling of fresh herbs and dinner is ready!

Browned chicken thighs in a skillet.

This recipe does utilize a few ingredients that you might not have in your pantry. Do you own a vial of saffron? If not, you should buy some. It can be a bit pricey, but a little goes a long way and it lasts for a really long time. Saffron gives this dish a unique and aromatic flavor and is well worth the cost.

Sauteed peppers and onions in a skillet.

This recipe also uses a short grain rice. If you want to be really authentic, get yourself some Calasparra rice, that’s what they use in Spain. Otherwise you can use an arborio rice, pearl rice or a calrose rice, which is the inexpensive short grain rice available in my grocery store.

Chicken thighs, rice, chicken broth and vegetables in a skillet.

This dish is perfect as is, or if you want to round out the meal a little more you can serve it with a green salad or a loaf of crusty bread. Everyone in my family loves this Spanish Arroz con Pollo but for different reasons – one of my girls loves the chicken but not the rice, the other likes both the chicken and the rice and my littlest just eats the rice. But everyone’s happy, and that’s all that matters. Oh, and of course it’s always a bonus to have a one pot meal with less clean up.

A plate of Spanish Arroz con Pollo with chicken thighs, rice and a side of broccoli.

Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

More chicken recipes you’ll love

  • Cajun Chicken Pasta
  • Chicken Souvlaki
  • Monterey Chicken
  • Baked Lemon Chicken
  • Chicken and Rice Casserole

Arroz con Pollo Video

A pan of arroz con pollo with chicken thighs, saffron rice and peas.
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5 from 24 votes

Arroz con Pollo

This recipe for Spanish Arroz con Pollo is a one pot meal that's full of tender chicken thighs, creamy saffron rice and vegetables - the perfect quick and easy dinner!
Course Dinner
Cuisine Spanish
Keyword Arroz con Pollo, Chicken with rice, Spanish chicken with rice
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 686kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • Pinch of saffron threads
  • 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs 6 ounces each
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups chicken broth plus more if needed
  • 1 cup short-grain rice such as Calasparra, Arborio or Calrose
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley optional
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas thawed

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Combine wine and saffron; let stand until ready to use.
  • Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin side down, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Flip, and cook until golden brown; transfer to a plate.
  • Drain any excess oil, leaving 1 teaspoon of oil in the pan.
  • Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, red bell pepper and garlic, stirring often, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in wine-saffron mixture, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the bay leaf.
  • Cook until wine is almost completely evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes. Add chicken thighs, broth and rice; bring to a simmer.
  • Cover the pan and place it in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the oven. Stir the peas into the rice. 
  • Top with parsley and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 686kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 815mg | Potassium: 730mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 670IU | Vitamin C: 9.8mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 2.7mg

This post was originally published on May 17, 2015 and was updated January 1, 2019 with new photos and content.

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Dinner, Everyday Meals, Gluten Free, One Pot Meals, Quick & Easy Dinners Tagged With: Chicken, Olives, One Pot Meal, Rice, Spanish Food

Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

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Comments

  1. Latoya says

    January 20, 2021 at 4:38 pm

    Can this be made in a rice cooker?

    Reply
  2. Cherii says

    January 15, 2021 at 9:48 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing!!! We loved it! I keep sneaking into the fridge to take a bite of the few leftovers I have. I have to make again for guests. This is a great recipe. I’ll make two batches if guests come. I went to a specialty store to make sure I could get saffron threads and the Arborio rice. The only problem I had was that I got the chicken thighs nice and crisp, but after being in the pot they skin got soft again, so after the 30 mins of baking I broiled the chicken a few minutes to get the skin crisp again. I also put the rice on simmer for a little longer because it seemed to wet. It was so yummy after that!

    Reply
  3. Maria J says

    October 21, 2020 at 7:58 pm

    5 stars
    My first time making arroz pollo with this recipe and it was a total success! Very juice and delicious !!
    Is it possible to make the recipe for 10 people at once in an oven dutch pot??

    Reply
    • Sara says

      October 21, 2020 at 8:13 pm

      That should be fine if you have a large enough pot to fit everything!

      Reply
      • Maria says

        October 22, 2020 at 1:10 pm

        Ok I will make sure my pot is oven friendly and try. If not, I would just cook over the stove. Thanks!

        Reply
  4. Ana Moreno says

    September 21, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    How essential is the saffron to this dish?

    Reply
    • Cheri says

      January 15, 2021 at 9:52 pm

      I think it’s essential!

      Reply
  5. Audrina says

    August 13, 2020 at 7:26 pm

    5 stars
    This was the most delicious dish I have ever made. I added a chicken bouillon cube to the broth. This was so good and authentic.

    Reply
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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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