Arroz con Pollo is classic Latin comfort food. With easy, one-pot prep, this Puerto Rican-style recipe is an easy-to-make, well-balanced meal that the whole family will love. Ready to serve in about an hour.
Combine seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Cut two or three shallow slits across the top of each chicken thigh.Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix over the chicken thighs and dry rub onto front and back of each one. Reserve the other half of the seasoning mix for later.
Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until oil glistens.
Add dry-rubbed chicken pieces to skillet "good side" down and brown for 4-5 minutes. Turn the chicken thighs over and brown on the other side for 4-5 minutes. Use tongs to remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
Sofrito & Rice
There should be ample seasoned oil left in the bottom of the pan. To the same skillet, add chopped onion, peppers, and corn, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; until the onions are translucent.
While the vegetables are cooking, rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water until the water runs clear. Shake out as much water as you can from the rice.Do not rinse the rice too early or it may get mushy when it is cooked.
Add rinsed rice and chopped garlic to the sautéed vegetables, and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining seasoning mixture and the chili flakes to the vegetable and rice mixture, and stir to combine. Cook the spices for just a few seconds, and then add the chicken broth and tomato sauce stir to combine. Remove skillet from heat.
Add the browned chicken thighs on top of the rice mixture. Add the bay leaves.
Bake& Serve
Cover the skillet and place in preheated oven. Bake at 350°F | 177°C for 30 minutes. (Internal temperature of chicken should be at least 165°F | 74°C when you take it out of the oven. For more tender chicken, bake until the temperature reaches 180°F | 82°C.)
Remove Arroz con Pollo from the oven. Remove cover and sprinkle a handful of cilantro on top. Recover and allow to set for 10 minutes or more before serving.
Garnish with additional fresh cilantro and serve warm.
Notes
DO NOT use brown rice for this recipe: it takes too long to cook. If you want to skip making the adobo, you can use a store-bought adobo seasoning instead.