Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo

This Puerto Rican rice with chicken recipe is a classic island-cuisine dish filled with the savory flavors of ham, pork, capers, olives, and tomatoes.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 55 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 491 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cups uncooked white rice
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, diced
• 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar, or as needed
• 1 (1.41 ounce) package sazon seasoning with coriander and achiote
• 0.25 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 0.25 teaspoon dried oregano
• 0.25 cup canola oil
• 0.25 teaspoon ground cumin
• 0.25 cup sofrito (such as Goya®)
• 0.25 pound salted pork, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 0.25 pound cooked ham, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 0.25 cup recaito (such as Goya®)
• 0.25 cup rinsed and diced Spanish olives

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place chicken in a large bowl and cover with apple cider vinegar. Set aside.

Step 2

Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add pork and ham; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add bell peppers and cook for 1 minute. Add onion and cook for 1 minute. Stir in sofrito and recaito and cook for 1 minute. Season with oregano, cumin, and pepper. Add capers and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in tomato sauce and olives; cook for another minute.

Step 3

Add broth, sazon, and rice to the pot. Stir until well mixed and return to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir.

Step 4

Strain chicken and discard vinegar. Add chicken to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Adjust heat as needed to simmer but not boil.