This Arroz con Pollo recipe is my Colombian version. It is a hearty one pot meal perfect for lunch or dinner. Every country and family in Latin America has its own classic rice with chicken variation.
This Colombian-Style Arroz con Pollo was one of my favorite dishes growing up. My mom would make it at least once a week and everyone in my family loved it.
What is Arroz con Pollo?
It literally translates to "Rice with Chicken" and it's one of the most popular dishes in Latin America. Every country has its own variation and cooking method, but they all have rice, chicken, vegetables and spices.
Some recipes use bone in chicken pieces, this is my mom’s recipe and it's made with shredded chicken breast. I tried the Cuban and Puerto Rican versions of arroz con pollo and they were also very comforting and delicious.
Storing Rice with Chicken
The best part of cooking this rice dish are the leftovers, it reheats very well and you can keep it in the fridge up to 4 days in an air tight glass or plastic container. That makes this dish perfect for meal preparation for the week.
What to Serve with Arroz con Pollo?
I love serving this Colombian arroz con pollo with ketchup, lime wedges, avocado, this simple green salad or avocado and tomato salad.
Everything you’ll need to make Arroz con Pollo
The full printable recipe card with ingredient amounts, directions and tips is below.
Chicken: I like to use bone in chicken breast to make this recipe.
Seasoning: cumin, sazón with azafran, bay leaf, salt & pepper.
Vegetables: carrots, peas, green beans, onions, scallions, garlic, red and green bell pepper.
Flavor: tomato paste, chicken broth and chicken bouillon.
Oil: olive oil, canola or vegetable oil will work for this recipe.
Rice: I like to use white long grain rice.
Herbs: cilantro, if you don't like it just use parsley.
This Authentic Colombian-Style Rice with Chicken recipe is easy to make and a wonderful one-pan meal. It's perfect for any celebration or a weeknight meal or lunch.
How to Make the Best Arroz con Pollo
- Place the chicken breast, 5 cups of water and the remaining ingredients for the stock in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the chicken rest in the pot for about 15 minutes covered. Let it cool, shred and set aside. Strain stock and measure 2 ½ cups and set aside.
- In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, green peppers, garlic and red bell pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the rice, tomato paste, chicken bouillon and sazon goya. Stir until the rice is well coated about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the peas, carrots and green beans and cook for and additional 7 minutes, add the shredded chicken and cilantro, mix well with a fork, cover and cook for 5 minutes more.
More Colombian Dishes to Try:
Empanadas Colombianas (Colombian Empanadas), Sancocho de Gallina (Chicken Sancocho), Ajiaco Bogotano (Chichen and Potato Soup), Bandeja Paisa (Paisa Tray), Pandebono (Cheese Bread), Buñuelos (Cheese Balls) and Arepas Rellenas de Queso (Cheese Stuffed Arepas).
Arroz con Pollo Recipe
Ingredients
To make the stock
- 2 whole chicken breast bone in and skin removed
- 2 scallions
- ½ white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon sazon Goya with azafran
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and Pepper
To make the Rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
- ¼ cup chopped green pepper
- 1 cup long- grain white rice
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 chicken bouillon tablet
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- ½ tablespoon sazon goya with azafran
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup frozen diced carrots
- ½ cup frozen diced green beans
Instructions
To make the chicken stock
- Place the chicken breast, 5 cups of water and the remaining ingredients for the stock in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the chicken rest in the pot for about 15 minutes covered. Let it cool, shred and set aside. Strain stock and measure 2 ½ cups and set aside.
- In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, green peppers, garlic and red bell pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the rice, tomato paste, chicken bouillon and sazon goya. Stir until the rice is well coated about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the peas, carrots and green beans and cook for and additional 7 minutes, add the shredded chicken and cilantro, mix well with a fork, cover and cook for 5 minutes more.
Carlos
Hola, soy un estudiante universitario nacido en Colombia y de ves en cuanto me gusta venir a tu pagina y concinar un poco. Todas tus recetas me han salido muy ricas! En esta se te olvido incluir en la receta cuanto arroz, me imagino que 1 1/2?
Erica
Carlos-Es 1 cup.....si miras bien esta en la lista de ingredientes para el arroz.
Monica T.
Thank you Erica for sharing your recipes in english. I was born here but my parents are from Medellin. I tried your arroz con pollo and it came out delicious!
war
I'm on my way to buy all the ingredients to make this today. Imma see if I find some guanabana to make some jugo and eat it just like my mom used to make it for me. Thank you
P. Cantu
I've tried two other arroz con pollo recipes and they came out OK ... I measure my cooking success based on how much food is left over after making a meal. I tried your recipe and it was wiped out clean. It came out delicious but I had to use 6 cups of chicken stock as the rice was drying out quickly.
Amparo
I made this arroz con pollo and I loved it, it tasted like my mom's rice.Thank you.
Gloria
Hi Erica,
Thanks for sharing your great recipes with us.
I am Colombian American and grew up with this same Arroz con Pollo recipe. The only difference in my version is that I add the chicken and frozen vegetables right after coating the rice with the oil and tomato paste. I basically bring everything to a boil , then simmer. I was wondering why you add the vegetables and the chicken after the rice is mostly cooked? Doesn't that make it a lot harder to get everything mixed together? Would love your thoughts on this as I am always open to making this great dish ever better. 🙂
Thanks,
Gloria
Erica
Hi Gloria, This is my mom's recipe and I learned it from her......The chicken is pre-cooked and I used the broth from that chicken to cook the rice.
Monica
This recipe has made my 16 year old son very happy. Orroz con pollo was his favorite dish to eat when we were in Colombia this past summer on a missions trip. I've used this recipe four times since our return in July. Today, I am preparing it for not just my family but about 75 other people as it is the main dish at our lunch at church today.
Karen S.
My Colombian son-in-law was recently in an accident & is recovering in my home. I made this recipe for him & he loved it! Three of his Colombian friends came to visit & they each had two servings! My whole family loved it, too! Today I'm making the Short Ribs with Colombian spices in the slow cooker. I can't wait to taste it as it smells delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes.
Lina
Loved it! Easy, quick and great flavor. This will be one I'll use again.
Gina C.
I made this last night exactly as written. As with all your recipes I've tried, this was exactly the flavors I recall from my Colombian family. This will definitely be added into my menu rotation. Your blog is by far the best resource for delicious Colombian food. I'm so glad to have found you!
Catalina
OMG!!!! Thank you for posting this recipe, I made it today.....my rice came out a little bit hard, but the taste was DELICIOUS!!!
Luz Adriana
Thanks Erica for the recipe, I'm from Medellin and live in California and no one knows about Arroz con Pollo, I will try it next week.
Miriam
I made this arroz con pollo last night for dinner and we all loved it!!! Delicious and easy to make.
Anonymous
You will LOVE this recipe!
This is a wonderful recipe and has become a staple in our home!
roberta
Hallo, I'm italian, but I have some colombian friends...I wanted to surprise them and cook something from their country..so,thank you for your recipse they are soooo tasty and helped me to learn how to cook colombian food...I hope I can visit Colombia really soon!
Gracias
Christian
Thank you for the recipe, I'm also Colombian! and always enjoyed eating this dish now I'm giving it a go...so far so good, I'm towards the final stage and hopefully my Italian wife likes it because she is a great Sicilian cook. She is looking forward to try it.