Chicken and Yellow Rice (Arroz con Pollo)

If you’re looking for a Chicken and Yellow Rice (Arroz con Pollo) recipe that has TONS of flavor, you’ve found it! I come from a large Cuban family and this is our version of yellow rice that is so flavorful and moist!

Ingredients for chicken and yellow rice:

• 4 chicken thighs and 2 chicken breasts
• Adobo seasoning
• 2 links (about 6 inches) of dried chorizo sausage (casing removed and sliced 1/4 inch thick)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
• 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
• 2 large garlic cloves (minced)
• 3 cups short or medium grain rice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 3 cups beer (any light unflavored beer will do)
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 packets of Sazon Goya seasoning (found in the international section of most grocery stores)

TIP: Tradition Cuban Chicken and Yellow Rice (Arroz con Pollo) is made with a whole fryer chicken cut into pieces. See bottom of post for even more chicken variation ideas!

Before I start anything, I like to chop my onions, red pepper, chorizo, and garlic. That saves me from scrambling around while I’m cooking the yellow rice. Make sure that you remove the thin papery casing from around the chorizo as well. I just make a slice on one side and peel it off.

Season your chicken liberally with the adobo seasoning and a little sprinkle of pepper. If you are using breasts, cut them in half (like pictured) so they cook quicker. If you are using dark meat, just leave it as-is and season.

Add your olive oil to a large pot and heat it on high heat. This is my pot but if you don’t want to spend that much HERE are some great less expensive options. Once your oil is hot, add in your chicken pieces and sear both sides until browned (just about 2 minutes on each side). You are not cooking your chicken on the inside. Just sear the outside then remove from the pot and set aside on a plate.

Lower your heat to medium and in the same oil that you cooked your chicken in, add your onion, red pepper, and chorizo slices.

Sauté these on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they are translucent. Then add in your garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. The chorizo lets off a lot of oil and will also make things an orange color.

Next comes the rice. I use this short grain Valencia rice because it gives the final result so much more moisture than using long grain. You’ll never make yellow rice with long grain again!

So after you’ve sautéed your veggies and chorizo, add your uncooked rice to the pot. Stir it around and cook for about 2 minutes.

Now here comes the secret to an amazing Chicken and Yellow Rice. It’s the beer. Yep beer! The beer will boil and the alcohol will cook out but if you don’t want to use the beer, just sub in more chicken stock. I buy one of these giant beers and it’s exactly how much I need.

How much liquid does rice need?

However much rice you use, you’ll want to use twice as much liquid. We started with 3 cups of rice so we’ll use 6 cups of liquid. I use 3 cups of beer and 3 cups of chicken stock.

Add both liquids to your pot of rice.

Also add in 1 tsp of salt and 2 packets of your sazon seasoning. It looks like this and comes in a box of a few packets. This is what gives the yellow rice it’s color.

Add your chicken back into the pot (including any juices that are on the plate) and bring everything to a full rolling boil for two minutes. Then reduce your stove top to low and cover your pot. I don’t like any steam seeping out so I also cover my pot in foil and then again with the lid.

Cook on low while covered for 25 minutes. After that, open your lid and stir in your frozen peas. Cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes. And that’s it! I like to serve this Chicken and Yellow Rice (Arroz con Pollo) with cuban bread and butter on the side.

Variations on the chicken:

*I sometimes cook the chicken fully through at the beginning (instead of just searing it) and then remove it from the pan. Make the yellow rice as directed and then shred the cooked chicken and add it back in at the end when I add in the peas. That tends to reduce the dryness if you’re using white meat 🙂 Click here to see how I shred all my chicken in less than 25 seconds!

*You can also used marinated grilled chicken (click here to see my amazing chicken marinade). Make the yellow rice as directed, just skipping over the chicken part. While your rice is cooking, Grill your marinated chicken breasts. When your rice is done, serve with slices of your grilled chicken. 

*I’ve also made this with shrimp or pork or a combination of any of those meats! Just comment if you have any questions on how to do so!

Print Recipe

5 from 9 votes

Yellow Rice and Chicken

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cuban

Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs and 2 chicken breasts
• Adobo seasoning
• 2 inch links of dried chorizo sausage sliced 1/4 thick
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 2 cloves large garlic minced
• 3 cups Valencia short grain rice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 3 cups beer any light unflavored beer will do
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 in packets of Sazon Goya seasoning found the ethnic section seasonings

Instructions

• Chop your onions, red bell pepper, and garlic and set aside. Remove casing and slice your chorizo into 1/4 slices and set aside as well.
• Season chicken pieces liberally with adobo seasoning and black pepper.
• Heat olive oil on high in large pot. Once hot, add in your chicken pieces and sear on each side. (About 2 minutes per side) Don't worry about cooking through.
• Once seared, remove chicken from pan and set aside on a plate.
• In the same pot and oil, add in your onion, pepper, and and chorizo. Sauté until translucent.
• Add in garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add your dry rice to the pot and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Pour in your chicken stock, beer, salt, and saxon packets.
• Add your chicken back to the pot including any juices.
• Bring to a full rolling boil for 2 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and cover pot with foil and then the lid and simmer for 25 minutes.
• After the 25 minutes, add in the peas, cover again and cook for 5 minutes.
• Enjoy!

Notes

See bottom of the blog post for even more chicken variation ideas!