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!
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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
Some chicken has liquid injected into it, and it will cook out into the pan. When I brown the chicken, if there is liquid in the pan, I drain it off, and add a bit more oil before adding the onion, garlic, etc.
If you are using long grain white rice or basmati, you need a 2:1 liquid to rice ratio. I use a 2 cup measure, put the tablespoon vinegar into the cup, then fill to 2 cups with broth. If this sounds unappealing to you, skip it entirely, and use all broth/stock.
Champagne and white wine vinegar should work in place of the sherry vinegar, just avoid a harsh white or apple cider variety.
If you're super organized, you can get this done in 30 minutes. While the chicken browns, peel and cube the sweet potatoes, chop the onion, mince the garlic etc. The rice requires 20 minutes, so you can slice the peppers, prep the garnishes, rinse and drain the beans while it cooks. On the other hand, you can pour yourself a glass of wine, slow down, and enjoy the process!
Macronutrients (approximation from MyFitnessPal): 538 calories; 48 g protein; 66 g carbohydrates; 44 g fat.
4 to 6 ounces is an appropriate serving of chicken for 1 person. I usually do 1 thigh per person, and the weight of 4 may vary from 16-24 ounces. I specify 24 ounces here, but with the addition of black beans, the 4 ounces of chicken is plenty.
Nutrition
Calories: 538kcal
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.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or star rating! Email us with any questions: tamara@beyondmeresustenance.com