This is a family recipe for a rich, comforting stew. You're free to customize what type of chicken you use, amount of chicken or rice, etc. so see below for variations!
You'll need:
- 2 lbs chicken, sliced
- 1 Tbs white vinegar
- 3 Tbs Adobo seasoning
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 5 packets Sazon Goya (click to buy)
- 1 tsp Bijol (click to buy)
- 3 Tbs chicken bouillon (or 3 cubes)
- 1 - 28 oz can stewed tomatoes
- 1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 - 14 oz bag Valencia rice (or you can use arborio rice)
Cut or slice the chicken into pieces, the place in a bowl and toss with the vinegar and Adobo. Let marinate while you chop the bell peppers and onions.
In a large stock pot, heat about 2 Tbs olive oil over medium-high. When hot, add enough chicken pieces so that they are in a single layer, and brown about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the browned pieces to a bowl, and continue to brown the rest of the chicken in batches until done, then set aside.
Add another tablespoon of oil and dump in the bell peppers and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to get transparent - about 10 minutes.
Add the chicken back into the stock pot. Add the Sazon, Bijol, and chicken bouillon, and stir well. Then pour in the tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir. Add enough water to cover all the chicken, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes. This will finish braising the chicken and make sure it's tender.
After the chicken is cooked, you can turn it off and leave it covered on the stove until you're ready to finish the dish.
Right before serving, bring back to a boil and add enough water to totally submerge the stew ingredients by about 4 inches. Pour the bag of rice in, stir, and then simmer 20 minutes until the rice is tender. (The rice will expand a lot and absorb water, to make sure there's plenty of extra liquid before you start.)
Serve in bowls or on plates with tostones for an authentic Cuban dinner!
Mix It Up:
- Trouble finding the ingredients?
- Bijol adds yellow coloring, softening the color of the tomato base and making it its trademark orange. You can leave this out if you don't have any.
- Instead of chicken bouillon, you can replace the water with chicken stock or broth.
- Pearl rice is essential, but if you can't find Valencia, you can use arborio, the rice used for risotto.
- I use the Sazon that contains Achiote (a bright red spice) and cilantro - there are a number of variations out there, but this is my go-to, and the one I linked above. You're not going to get the same flavor without Sazon, which is tiny packet that delivers a lot of umami seasoning - in part through MSG. (It doesn't contribute enough MSG to cause any issues, but just enough to provide a flavor kick without adding a ton of sodium, since the alternative source of flavor is salt.)
- Customize it!
- Traditionally, we use a whole chicken, cut into pieces, bones and all. You can do that, or just get drumsticks, or certain pieces. I use boneless and slice it, but you can also cut it into chunks. The instructions are still the same - you just need to make sure your pot is large enough for whatever you choose. And feel free to use less to feed fewer people, or more if you want.
- You can also scale the amount of rice you use, depending on how many people you are feeding.
- If you don't want chunks of tomatoes, use a large can of crushed tomatoes instead of stews. Or, use canned peeled tomatoes for large chunks.
- If you're serving kids who aren't into eating onions and peppers, you can cut them in half so you get the flavor but don't have it in every bite.
Authentic Easy Arroz con Pollo (Cuban Chicken and Rice Stew)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken, sliced
- 1 Tbs white vinegar
- 3 Tbs Adobo seasoning
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 5 packets Sazon Goya (click to buy)
- 1 tsp Bijol (click to buy)
- 3 Tbs chicken bouillon (or 3 cubes)
- 28 oz can stewed tomatoes
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 14 oz bag Valencia rice (or you can use arborio rice)
Instructions
- Cut or slice the chicken into pieces, the place in a bowl and toss with the vinegar and Adobo. Let marinate while you chop the bell peppers and onions.
- In a large stock pot, heat about 2 Tbs olive oil over medium-high. When hot, add enough chicken pieces so that they are in a single layer, and brown about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the browned pieces to a bowl, and continue to brown the rest of the chicken in batches until done, then set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil and dump in the bell peppers and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to get transparent - about 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken back into the stock pot. Add the Sazon, Bijol, and chicken bouillon, and stir well. Then pour in the tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir. Add enough water to cover all the chicken, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes. This will finish braising the chicken and make sure it's tender.
- After the chicken is cooked, you can turn it off and leave it covered on the stove until you're ready to finish the dish.
- Right before serving, bring back to a boil and add enough water to totally submerge the stew ingredients by about 4 inches. Pour the bag of rice in, stir, and then simmer 20 minutes until the rice is tender. (The rice will expand a lot and absorb water, to make sure there's plenty of extra liquid before you start.)
- Serve in bowls or on plates with tostones for an authentic Cuban dinner!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
357.11Fat (grams)
15.89Sat. Fat (grams)
4.33Carbs (grams)
22.19Fiber (grams)
1.60Net carbs
20.59Sugar (grams)
4.10Protein (grams)
30.09Sodium (milligrams)
836.92Cholesterol (grams)
106.97