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Skillet Arroz con Pollo is an easy, flavorful, one pan chicken and rice dish that originates from Spain and Latin America. Juicy chicken thighs nestled into a bed of rice, garlic, onion and peppers and peas. Garnish with green olives for a hearty weeknight meal that also works great for meal prep!
Before we dive into new recipes for Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day and maybe even a dessert for my birthday, I thought a new dinner recipe was in order. Me being me, this obviously meant it needed to be fairly easy to make and light on the amount of dishes used. This Skillet Arroz con Pollo checks off both of the those boxes and will hopefully become a staple in your home.
I’ve been loving taking a classic recipe and putting my own spin on it. Whether that’s making a variation on a classic recipe like these Skillet Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs or this Chicken Marsala Fettuccine. Or making a healthier version of a classic such as these Zucchini Lasagna Rolls, Chicken Enchiladas and Mac and Cheese. Either way the basic concept and flavor are there, they just have a healthier spin on them.
When I made this Skillet Arroz con Pollo, which translates to rice with chicken, I went with the slightly healthier approach to the classic version. If you’ve never heard of Arroz con Pollo, it’s a traditional dish of Spain and Latin America that’s similar to paella. Not only is it packed with flavor, but uses affordable ingredients as well.
Generally, skin on chicken thighs and drumsticks are used in the recipe. To make my version a little lighter I went with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Using chicken thighs is great for one pot/skillet recipes because they won’t dry out as quickly as chicken breasts can. Not to mention their hearty, meaty flavor far exceeds that of the chicken breast.
The chicken thighs are coated in a delicious blend of earthy, smoky spices and seared until they have a nice golden crust. The next step is to make the sofrito, which is a combination of onion, red bell pepper and garlic. The rice is added to the sofrito along with cilantro, white wine and chicken broth.
The chicken goes back into the skillet and into the oven to bake until the rice is tender and fluffy. The final step is to stir in frozen peas and garnish with green olives and cilantro. The olives are optional, but I highly recommend using them if you’re a fan. They add wonderful pops of briny, salty flavor to the dish. Serve this hearty meal right out of the skillet and enjoy any leftover for dinner throughout the week.
More Chicken and Rice Recipes
Skillet Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice
Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Skillet Thai Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry
Skillet Arroz con Pollo
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano rubbed between the palms of your hands
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic grated or minced
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup uncooked medium or long grain white rice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro plus more for garnish
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup green olives sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. In a small bowl combine all of the spices for the chicken. Rub half of the spice mixture onto the chicken thighs and reserve the rest for the rice. Heat the olive oil in a large oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet then add in the chicken thighs. Brown for about 2-3 minutes then flip them and brown another 2-3 minutes. Remove the chicken thighs onto a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet, swirl to coat the bottom, then add in the onion and red bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes then add in the garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes. Add in the rice and tomato paste and remaining spice mixture from the chicken. Stir until everything is coated. Pour in the wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the chicken broth and cilantro and add in the bay leaf.
- Simmer on the stove for 3 minutes uncovered, then cover with a lid and place it in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven and stir in the peas. Garnish with green olives and extra cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Finally got around to making this for dinner yesterday. Thanks for a very tasty recipe!
Made a roasted garlic and brown butter cream sauce to go with it. It was delicious! :)
I’m glad you liked it Tobbe, thanks for trying it out. :-)
I love chicken and rice! But I usually find it a bit on the dry side and always want a sauce to go with it. Normally I pour some heavy whipping cream in to the frying pan with some chicken stock and soy sauce to make a very tasty gravy for the chicken and rice. But with the skillet/frying pan baking in the oven I can’t do that for this dish. So what sauce do you recommend to serve with this instead?
It is very hard to cook a thigh so much that you lose the moisture. If you do, they are way, way overcooked. This should be fine without a sauce. Breasts dry out easily if overcooked but thighs have enough fat content to be more forgiving. If you are still afraid of them being too dry, leave the bones in for the cooking. That will prevent moisture loss.
Thanks for the suggestion. I will let you know how it went when I try it :)