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Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo

A comforting, deeply seasoned Puerto Rican-style chicken and rice made in one pot with salt pork, cured ham, sweet peppers, culantro, olives, capers, tomato, and achiote. The chicken marinates in a garlicky oregano seasoning before slowly cooking with the rice, allowing every grain to absorb the savory flavors of the caldero. Peas and pimientos add the classic finishing touches to this generous, family-style meal.

Prep: 1 day
Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Total: 1 day 1 hr
Serves: 8
Difficulty: intermediate

Russell Toris@russelltoris

One-Pot

Ingredients

8Servings

Chicken and Marinade

2½ lb Bone-in Chicken, assorted pieces
2 whole Black Peppercorn
2 whole Garlic, peeled
1 tsp Dried Oregano
4½ tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Lime Juice, freshly squeezed

Aromatic Base

1 tbsp Lard
1 oz Salt Pork, rinsed and diced
2 oz Cured Ham, diced
1 whole Yellow Onion, peeled and chopped
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
3 whole Ají Dulce, seeded and chopped
1 whole Tomato, chopped
6 leaf Culantro

Rice

½ tsp Kosher Salt
10 whole Pimiento-stuffed Green Olive
1 tbsp Capers
¼ cup Tomato Sauce
2 tbsp Achiote Oil
3 cup Medium Grain White Rice
5 cup Water, as instructed by the rice
17 oz Canned Green Peas, drained with the liquid reserved
4 oz Pimientos, with their liquid

Nutritionper serving

Calories: 600
Carbohydrates: 66 g
Protein: 28 g
Fat: 23 g
Fiber: 5 g
Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 1700 mg

Method

Prepare the seasoning paste

Place the peppercorns, garlic, oregano, and 4½ teaspoons salt in a mortar. Crush everything into a paste, then mix in the olive oil and lime juice.

Marinate the chicken

Pat the chicken dry and divide especially large pieces into smaller serving portions. Rub the seasoning paste thoroughly over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Brown the salt pork and ham

Heat the lard in a large caldero, Dutch oven, or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced salt pork and ham and cook briefly, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.

Begin cooking the chicken

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the marinated chicken pieces and cook for 5 minutes, turning them occasionally so they begin to brown evenly.

Cook the aromatics

Reduce the heat to low. Add the onion, green bell pepper, sweet chile peppers, tomato, and culantro. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Prepare the cooking liquid

While the aromatics cook, drain the liquid from the canned peas into a measuring cup and reserve the peas. Add enough water to the pea liquid to make enough for the rice. Warm the liquid in a separate saucepan and keep it hot.

Add the rice and seasonings

Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, olives, capers, tomato sauce, achiote oil, and rice to the chicken mixture. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, gently stirring so the rice is evenly coated.

Add the liquid

Pour the hot reserved liquid into the pot and mix well. Cook uncovered over medium heat until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the surface of the rice looks dry.

Turn and cover the rice

Using a fork or large spoon, gently lift and turn the rice from the bottom of the pot toward the top. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 40 minutes. About halfway through cooking, uncover the pot and gently turn the rice from bottom to top once more. Replace the cover and continue cooking.

Add the peas

Scatter the reserved peas over the rice and gently turn the rice one final time. Cover and continue cooking over low heat for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the chicken is completely cooked through.

Garnish and serve

Warm the pimientos in their canning liquid, then drain them. Spoon the arroz con pollo onto a large serving platter and arrange the warm pimientos over the top. Serve immediately.