Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 55 min
Servings: 12
Yield: 12 servings

Description

This Puerto Rican rice with chicken recipe is a classic island-cuisine dish filled with the savory flavors of ham, pork, capers, olives, and tomatoes.

Ingredients

3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup apple cider vinegar, or as needed
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 pound salted pork, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 pound cooked ham, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup sofrito (such as Goya®)
1/4 cup recaito (such as Goya®)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon capers
6 cloves garlic, diced
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup rinsed and diced Spanish olives
3 cups chicken broth
1 (1 5/12 ounce) package sazon seasoning with coriander and achiote
3 cups uncooked white rice

Directions

1 Place chicken in a large bowl and cover with apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
2 Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add pork and ham; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add bell peppers and cook for 1 minute. Add onion and cook for 1 minute. Stir in sofrito and recaito and cook for 1 minute. Season with oregano, cumin, and pepper. Add capers and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in tomato sauce and olives; cook for another minute.
3 Strain chicken and discard vinegar. Add chicken to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Adjust heat as needed to simmer but not boil.
4 Add broth, sazon, and rice to the pot. Stir until well mixed and return to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir.