Is there any meal more comforting than a big bowl of chicken and rice? No, there isn’t, particularly if it’s Adrianna Adarme’s recipe for Abuelito’s Arroz con Pollo. Adarme based the dish — which appears in her A Cozy Kitchen Cookbook, out this week — on one she remembers her grandfather Blasco making for her family.
It has everything you love about classic arroz con pollo (read: spiced chicken, flavor-packed rice, and a confetti of bell pepper and peas), but this version leans a bit richer and creamier, almost risotto-like. And because “comforting weeknight dinner” and “washing one million bowls” don’t belong in the same sentence, rest assured: It comes together in one pot, so you can spend the rest of your evening catching up with loved ones… or watching The Traitors.
The Time Commitment: Just over an hour.
Key Tips: Adarme suggests checking on the mixture every 15 minutes or so while it’s cooking — it may need the occasional extra splash of broth to keep it moist. And feel free to double the recipe, since it makes amazing leftovers and freezes like a dream.
Abuelito’s Arroz con Pollo
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
A few words from recipe creator, Adrianna Adarme:
My abuelito Blasco was an incredible cook. He was a little grumpy, but he had a huge heart, and cooking for us on Sunday was his love language. He’d come over and make his version of arroz con pollo, heavily inspired by his love of paella, for the whole family.
This version is in honor of him and leans richer and a little creamy, almost like a risotto, rather than a fluffier, more traditional arroz con pollo. It’s deeply comforting but comes together quickly enough for a cozy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon avocado oil
3 pounds/1.4kg bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks and thighs
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, finely diced
1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Saffron threads (optional)
Red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1¾ cups short-grain rice, such as Valencia
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
1 cup frozen peas
Instructions:
In a Dutch oven, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat.
When the oil shimmers, use tongs to add the chicken, skin-side down. Sear until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and sear the other side for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Lower the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and use the spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot. Add the bell pepper, cumin, turmeric, paprika, and a pinch of saffron (if using), red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir to mix all the spices.
Add the rice and stir to coat in the tomato mixture. Set the chicken on top of the rice and pour in any juices from the plate. Add just enough chicken broth to cover the rice. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer until the rice is very tender, 45 to 50 minutes, checking every 15 minutes and adding more broth as needed so the rice doesn’t dry out.
Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning. Stir in the peas, then cover and let rest for 2 minutes so the peas warm through. Bring the pot to the table and divide the chicken and rice among plates.
Other Takes: For more proof chicken and rice is everything nice, try…
Chicken Rice with Buttered Onions. Which is so cozy that creator Deb Perelman said she wanted “to take a nap in the pan.” That makes two of us.
Oyakodon. What came first, the chicken or the egg? We don’t care, as long as we get to eat this easy Japanese rice bowl that’s ready in less than half an hour.
One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Caramelized Lemon. One 4-year-old fan apparently raved that it was “too yummy for my brain.” Enough said.
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