Arroz con Pollo

I have always wanted to make Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken), so when I saw a recipe for it on Stacey Snacks and then again on Karen Cooks I couldn’t resist–I had to make it. I adapted my recipe a bit to use what I had on hand and also to include a few more spices. This dish was fairly simple to make and it tasted FANTASTIC. I really liked the depth of flavors and the different textures of this meal. The chicken turned out very moist and the rice was perfectly cooked. My husband and I really, really loved this dish and my kids thought it was good too. I can’t believe it took me so long to make Arroz con Pollo – it’s one of my new favorites. Thank you Stacey and Karen for the inspiration!

Note: I didn’t measure my seasonings (sorry). I just sprinkled a bit of each onto the chicken thighs and then sprinkled a bit more of each into the chicken and rice mixture until it tasted right.

Arroz con Pollo:

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 chicken thighs with skin and bones
• Paprika, to taste
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• Dried oregano, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste
• Cumin, to taste
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small sweet yellow onion, diced
• 4-5 baby bell peppers, diced (I used yellow, red, and orange)
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 pinch of saffron
• 1 cup of rice
• 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped (divided)
• 1 cup of frozen peas, thawed

How to Make Arroz con Pollo

Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven. Once the bacon is cooked, drain on a paper towel and then crumble, set aside.

Season the chicken thighs with a bit of each seasoning, to taste. Cook the chicken thighs, skin side down first, for 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside on a plate.