Arroz con Pollo

Name: Arroz con Pollo
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Latin America
Ingredients: 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or a mix of thighs and drumsticks); 400 g long-grain white rice, washed; 2 tsp annatto (achiote) seeds or 1.5 tsp ground achiote paste; 4 tbsp neutral oil; 1 large onion, finely diced; 1 large red or green bell pepper, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp ground cumin; 0.5 tsp smoked paprika; 700 ml chicken stock; 100 ml beer (lager) or dry white wine; 60 g green olives (stuffed with pimento), sliced; 2 tbsp capers, drained; 100 g frozen peas, thawed; 1.5 tsp salt; Fresh coriander and sliced avocado, to serve

Latin America's most beloved one-pot: chicken braised in a sofrito of tomato, onion, garlic and bell pepper with annatto-coloured rice, olives, capers and peas: the dish that connects Spain's paella to the cooking of the Americas, and appears on every family table from Puerto Rico to Peru

Origin: Latin America (Spain via colonial America)

From the journey of Rice.

Arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) is the most widely prepared rice dish in the Americas, appearing in virtually every Latin American national cuisine from Mexico to Argentina, with each country claiming a unique version. The dish arrived with Spanish colonists who brought their tradition of arroz (rice, from the Arab-Moorish cultivation tradition of Valencia) and adapted it to the ingredients of the New World. The defining New World addition is annatto (achiote, from the Bixa orellana plant native to tropical Americas): the rust-red seeds that colour the oil and give the rice its characteristic golden-orange hue. The sofrito, the aromatics base of onion, garlic, tomato and bell pepper, is itself a hybrid, descended from the Spanish sofrito but enriched with local herbs. Spanish olives and capers are present in Puerto Rican arroz con pollo as a reminder of the Iberian origin; the Peruvian version adds ají amarillo; the Colombian version uses fresh cilantro-dominant sofrito. What all versions share is the fundamental technique: the chicken and rice cook together in one pot, the chicken imparting flavour to the rice and the rice absorbing the savoury braising liquid.

Ingredients

Chicken

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or a mix of thighs and drumsticks)

Rice

400 g long-grain white rice, washed

Colour

2 tsp annatto (achiote) seeds or 1.5 tsp ground achiote paste

Fat

4 tbsp neutral oil

Sofrito

1 large onion, finely diced
1 large red or green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
400 g tinned chopped tomatoes

Spices

1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
0.5 tsp smoked paprika

Liquid

700 ml chicken stock
100 ml beer (lager) or dry white wine

Puerto Rican additions

60 g green olives (stuffed with pimento), sliced
2 tbsp capers, drained

Vegetables

100 g frozen peas, thawed

Seasoning

1.5 tsp salt

Serving

Fresh coriander and sliced avocado, to serve

Method

Make achiote oil: heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the annatto seeds (or achiote paste). Heat until the oil turns a deep, brilliant orange-red; 1–2 minutes. Remove the seeds with a slotted spoon (discard them; they are just for colour). The orange oil remains in the pot.
Season the chicken pieces generously with salt, pepper, oregano and cumin. In the hot achiote oil, brown the chicken skin-side down over high heat for 6–8 minutes until deeply golden and crisp. Turn and brown the other side for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
In the fat remaining in the pot (add a splash more oil if needed), add the onion and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat for 8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the smoked paprika.
Add the tinned tomatoes. Cook, stirring, for 5–7 minutes until the tomato thickens. This is the sofrito; cook it until it is thick and the oil is separating.
Add the beer (or wine), olives and capers. Stir well. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Return the browned chicken pieces to the pot. The liquid should partially cover the chicken. Season generously with salt. Simmer covered for 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken pieces. Add the washed rice to the pot. Stir once. Taste the liquid; it should be well-seasoned and richly coloured. Add more stock if needed to cover the rice by 2cm. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Scatter the peas over the surface of the rice for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Return the chicken pieces on top of the rice for the final 5 minutes to warm through. Rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
Serve from the pot at the table: the golden-orange rice surrounding the chicken, with the green olives and peas scattered through, the whole thing fragrant with oregano and annatto. Garnish with fresh coriander and sliced avocado.

Notes

Annatto (achiote) is the seed of the Bixa orellana shrub, native to tropical Americas. The seeds contain a natural pigment (bixin and norbixin) that colours food a vivid orange-red. It is the colouring agent in many Latin American dishes, some cheeses (Red Leicester, Mimolette), and was used historically as body paint by indigenous South American peoples. Annatto has a faintly earthy, slightly peppery, very mild flavour; its role is primarily as a natural food colourant. Ground achiote paste (available at Latin American grocery stores) is more convenient than whole seeds. If you cannot source annatto, a mixture of turmeric and paprika will approximate the colour (though not the specific flavour).

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control