Caribbean Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)
Elevate your chicken and rice “game” with vibrant, Caribbean-inspired flavors… A simple one-pot meal, Carribean Arroz con Pollo gets its Caribbean kick from allspice, cumin, and red chile. With the addition of sweet potatoes and roasted red peppers, you’ll have this beautiful and tasty dish on the table in about 30-40 minutes!
Let me, O let me bathe my soul in colours; let me swallow the sunset and drink the rainbow.
~~ Kahlil Gibran
Do you “eat with your eyes” as I do? I find bland beige food to be totally unappealing. TOTALLY. I very deliberately consider color when working on a new recipe, and this Caribbean Arroz con Pollo is no exception. Did I miss any colors in this one pot dish? Curious about the purple in the photo? Purple sweet potatoes! I used both purple and “regular” sweet potatoes in this dish. The purple isn’t mandatory of course. 😉
What makes Caribbean Arroz con Pollo “Caribbean?”
The standout ingredient in this dish is allspice. Allspice is a very important spice in the Caribbean pantry (think Jamaican jerk seasoning). Caribbean cuisine has many ethnic influences as the Caribbean is a great melting pot. This dish does incorporate many ingredients typical of the cuisine – allspice, red chile powder, cumin, ginger, beans and rice, scallions, avocado, etc.
While my Caribbean Arroz con Pollo shares many ingredients with my popular recipe Peruvian Chicken and Rice (Arroz Con Pollo), you’ll find the flavors are quite different… Same concept, though. The chicken gets browned and removed from a heavy cast iron skillet, the aromatics get cooked to intensify their flavors, and then the chicken, rice, veggies, and liquid cozy up in the pan for about 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes and rice are tender and the chicken is cooked through. While this skillet of deliciousness cooks, prep the garnishes… It really is that simple!
Do you have your own variant of chicken and rice? If so, I’d love to hear about it in my comments section below… Until next time,

Caribbean Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
- 24 ounces boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 small onion - chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger - grated or minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho (or other) - ground red chile powder
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 cups broth or stock - (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (optional) - (see notes)
- 2 cups cubed sweet potatoes - about 2 small
- 1 cup long grain rice - (see notes)
- 1 can black beans - rinsed and drained
- 4-5 piquillo or roasted red peppers - sliced thin
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper - to taste
Garnishes
- avocado
- lime
- scallions
- cilantro
Instructions
- Sear the chicken in a bit of hot oil until browned - about 5 minutes per side. Remove. Drain any liquid and add a bit more oil if needed.
- Sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, red chile powder, and allspice until the onion is translucent and spices are very fragrant. Do not brown
- Add broth or stock and sherry vinegar. Stir to loosen any browned bits.
- Add the chicken back into the pan, along with the sweet potatoes and rice. Cover and reduce heat to a low simmer.
- After about 10 minutes, add the black beans and piquillo or roasted red peppers. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Garnish and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.