One-Pot Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice – This incredible chicken dinner will excite your taste buds. Tender chicken, flavorful rice, and the famous sofrito come together quickly and easily.
Not long ago, I shared a recipe for one-pot jerk chicken and rice. Since then, it has become my go-to rice recipe. And to put it mildly, the family, including me, is obsessed with it!
As usual, I decided to switch things up and create something similar but with different flavors and ingredients. However, the same unfailing concept delivers goodness every time—the ratio of rice to liquid and searing the chicken with spices first. Then sit back and let the stove do its magic.
What Makes Chicken and Rice a Classic Puerto Rican Dish
While this isn’t as authentic as Abuelita’s, it does have classic Puerto Rican ingredients. And most of those ingredients are probably in your fridge and pantry at this very moment.
What makes it so tasty is the chicken juices releasing into the rice. It flavors the rice while the chicken slowly cooks in all those delectable seasonings for pure heaven. It’s an incredibly flavorful meal.
Ingredient List
- Chicken – Chicken thighs give you the juiciest dinner, but you can cut up a whole chicken or use other parts. Seasoning it with salt before cooking makes it juicier.
- Seasonings – Adobo and sazon seasoning provide authenticity and beautiful flavors.
- Sofrito – Saute garlic, onion, bell peppers, and tomato sauce in a little oil to let their flavors bloom. Bay leaves, cumin, and cilantro add more deliciousness. You’ll have even more authentic flavors if you can get culantro and aji dulce (they look like habaneros but are sweet instead of spicy).
- Rice – Any long-grain rice will work, but my fave is basmati.
- Add-Ins – Pigeon peas are a classic ingredient in arroz con gandules, but it’s also a welcome addition to arroz con pollo. Feel free to replace it with another bean or leave it out. Pitted green olives (sliced or not) add a pleasant saltiness and a pop of color.
- Liquids – Season the chicken broth with white pepper, sazon, paprika, and salt to taste for pure, soul-satisfying goodness.
How to Make One-Pot Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice
Chicken
- Prep Chicken – Wash chicken thighs. For faster cooking, make a ½” slit into the meat on either side of the thigh and pat them dry with a paper towel—season with salt (about 1½ teaspoons).
- Season – Rub both sides with a generous amount of the adobo seasoning or your favorite spice mixture.
- Sear – Place chicken (skin-side up) in a skillet, Dutch oven, or oven-safe pan for about 3 minutes. Flip and sear for another 3 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Remove from the pan and set aside. (Photo 1)
Rice
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃).
- Wash Rice – Meanwhile, cover the rice with cold water in a large bowl. Wash the grains with your hands, tip the water out, and repeat twice or until the water runs clear.
- Wipe out the pan in which the chicken was seared with a paper towel or napkin to remove any burns from the pan.
- Sofrito – Add a tablespoon or two of oil, followed by onions, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaf, cilantro, and cumin. Sauté until soft but not browned, 2-3 minutes. Then add tomato sauce and rice. Stir for another minute to coat the rice. (Photos 2-4)
- Assembly – Add the remaining ingredients: chicken stock, pigeon peas, paprika, white pepper, olives, salt, and sazon or bouillon. Add the chicken and bring to a boil. (Photos 5-6)
- Bake – Place uncovered in the preheated oven. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
- Serve – Remove, cool for 5-10 minutes, and serve. Enjoy!!
Recipe Notes and Tips
- I used my trusted 12-inch cast iron skillet because it works so well. But an oven-safe Dutch oven also works great.
- Washing the rice well before cooking gives you fluffier rice.
- Get creative with bacon, ham, turkey, etc. You can even add more vegetables for a healthier one-pot meal.
What Pairs With One-Pot Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice
This hearty goodness goes great with tostones or fried plantains. Finish it off with arroz con leche or flan for a complete meal.
More Delectable One-Pot Recipes to Try
- Caribbean Jerk Chicken and Rice
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice
- Thieboudienne
- Chicken Pasta Bake
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”sVe2ykzI” upload-date=”2019-04-25T13:11:26.000Z” name=”One Pot Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice” description=”One Pot Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice – An incredible chicken meal that would excite your taste buds. Flavored with sofrito sauce, spices, peas and olives. So easy to make and comes together quickly.”]
One-Pot Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice
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Ingredients
Chicken
- 2-2½ pounds (900-1,200g) chicken thighs (5-6 thighs)
- 1½ teaspoon (7g) salt
- ½ teaspoon (2g) sazon seasoning (homemade sazon, Goya sazon, or chicken bouillon)
- 2 tablespoons (20g) adobo seasoning or your favorite chicken seasoning
Rice
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) canola oil
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 2 small bay leaves
- 1 large bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup (120g) tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon (3g) cumin
- 2-3 tablespoons (8-12g) fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 cups (440g) uncooked long-grain rice
- 1 15.5-ounce can pigeon peas, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon (3g) white pepper
- 1 cup (120g) pitted olives
- 4 cups (950ml) chicken broth
- 1 packet (40g) Goya Sazon (or homemade sazon)
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) paprika (optional)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash chicken thighs. For faster cooking, make a ½" slit into the meat on either side of the thigh and pat them dry with a paper towel—season with salt (about 1½ teaspoons).
- Rub both sides with a generous amount of the adobo seasoning or your favorite spice mixture.
- Place chicken (skin-side up) in a skillet, Dutch oven, or oven-safe pan for about 3 minutes. Flip and sear for another 3 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃).
- Meanwhile, cover the rice with cold water in a large bowl. Wash the grains with your hands, tip the water out, and repeat twice or until the water runs clear.
- Wipe out the pan in which the chicken was seared with a paper towel or napkin to remove any burns from the pan.
- Add a tablespoon or two of oil, followed by onions, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaf, cilantro, and cumin. Sauté until soft but not browned, 2-3 minutes. Then add tomato sauce and rice. Stir for another minute to coat the rice.
- Next, add the remaining ingredients: chicken stock, pigeon peas, paprika, white pepper, olives, salt, and sazon or bouillon. Add the chicken and bring to a boil.
- Place uncovered in the preheated oven. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
- Remove, let it cool, and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- I used my trusted 12-inch cast iron skillet because it works so well. But an oven-safe Dutch oven also works great.
- Washing the rice well before cooking gives you fluffier rice.
- Get creative with bacon, ham, turkey, etc. You can even add more vegetables for a healthier one-pot meal.
- I used whole olives, but sliced works just as well.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Shannon says
Hello i made this before it was delicious i wanted to know if u knew can i cook this in my eletric skillet?
ImmaculateBites says
I haven’t tried it with an electric skillet ….However, I think it would work, be sure to cover the skillet and you might have to adjust cooking time . If you do give it a try let me know how it works out
JoFi says
This is very very close to my family’s Cuban Arroz con pollo. We sub out some of the water for beer, and omit the Pigeon peas, that’s it! So so good. I usually make this on the stove top, but it works well in the oven, too. Next I’m going to try it in the instant pot. I feel like it would work! Yummy yummy.
Erica says
It sounds good how do u make it
William says
I have made this recipe several times and my wife loves it so guess whats going down tonight? We are cooking it again. Five stars all the way. The recipe its one of my favorites.
imma africanbites says
Yaaay! Thank you for a wonderful feedback, William. I appreciate it. Happy holidays!
Bianka says
I will be making this tonight! I’m excited! Need to buy a cast iron today
ImmaculateBites says
That’s Awesome! I love my cast iron- it’s one of my favorite cooking vessel.
Mira says
Hi. You mentioned you use sofrito for this recipe. But i don’t see it in the ingredient list. I have pre made sofrito, so I’m wondering what I can substitute for it. Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Mira, add the sofrito when adding the onions and bell pepper. It adds more flavor to the rice .Sometimes , I season the chicken with about a teaspoon of sofrito to add more flavor to the chicken. Hope this helps.
I says
Hi. What should I do if I am using pre -cooked rice?
ImmaculateBites says
Pre-cooked rice would not work well in this recipe.
Adrian says
this looks amazing! can I substitute pigeon peas with red kidney beans?
imma africanbites says
Yes, you sure can!
Barbara says
The rice cooks in the oven without the pot being covered!
Jose says
Thank you! I made this yesterday and loved the flavors. I didn’t have Adobo for the chicken rub so I mixed onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder and cayenne pepper. The chicken came out great. However the rice came out very mushy, definitely overcooked. I used Jasmine rice.. would a different type of rice have been better? Also I washed the rice perhaps a bit too early (sat wet for a good 10 minutes before being added to the pan). Any advice?
imma africanbites says
Jasmine rice works fine for this recipe. Perhaps, that’d be the case that you let it sat wet for too long. I’d also try going with a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Let me know how it works out for you. Happy cooking, Jose!
John says
Great Dish! Easy to put together and the flavor is on point!
Leia says
I really liked the way this recipe came out. I’ve been making it on the stove top for years, so I really liked doing it in the oven. Seems to take less time. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
ImmaculateBites says
Am so thrilled! So happy to hear this. Thanks for the feed back!
Judy Rentz says
The jerk chicken was perfection!!
Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
YESS! Thank you!
New to Cooking says
So, I made this with a pan that I thought was the same size as yours. I think it may be the 10 inch because I had to pour half of the liquid out. I actually double checked that “4 cups of chicken broth” bullet four times because I knew I was in trouble lol. Anyway, this meant the rice didn’t cook properly and I had to cook it for like 2 hours instead of 30 minutes. I also forgot to boil it on the stovetop beforehand. Anyway, I gradually added back the liquid to try to cook the rice in the process.
It’s now mushy but good. First time for everything. I’ll get it right next time.
Anyway, I posted all of this for others new to cooking to learn from my mistakes. So, to my questions:
1. Did you use the 12 inch Lodge cast iron skillet? If not, do you know the volume of liquid your skillet holds?
2. I’d rather buy another pan than adjust measurements of the food, so if I just get the 13 or 15 inch cast iron skillet, does that change how I would make this recipe? Like will it shorten cooking time? Are there issues when cooking on a stovetop? Should I just get the 12 inch and call it a day?
Thanks for your help and all of these snacking recipes!
New to Cooking says
*amazing recipes (And I was wondering about the bigger skillet just to play it safe, but I wouldn’t get it if I have to adjust anything on your recipes). I’m pretty much trying to make a recipe a week of yours in the New Year lol.
ImmaculateBites says
Sorry to hear about the recipe. In most of my recipes ,I use the 12 inch cast iron skillet , a 13 inch would work as well. I don’t know much about a 15 inch, never used it. Since you are starting out I would go with the 12 inch. Hope this helps and don’t hesitate to ask more questions. Happy Cooking!!!
Chinyere says
Thanks so much! Appreciate the super quick response as all!
Heidi says
I absolutely love your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for taking the time to let me know ! Wishing a Happy Year!!!!
Stephanie says
Did you use boneless or bone-in thighs?
ImmaculateBites says
I used bone-in thighs.
Stephanie says
Thank you. Going to make this tonight!