Arroz con Pollo Cubano
Arroz con Pollo Cubano is a tasty chicken and rice dish with a Cuban flair. Marinated dark meat chicken pairs with rice, peppers, onions, olives, and ham to make the perfect dinner.
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- ½ cup Orange juice
- ¼ cup Lime juice
- 4 tbsp Minced garlic
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 3-4 lbs Chicken legs and thighs (I used 3.5 lbs)
For the Arroz con Pollo Cubano
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp Minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Canola oil for frying
- 1 Green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup Ham, chopped (I used 1 ham steak)
- 3 cups Long grain rice
- 1 cup Tomato sauce
- 3.5 cups Water or chicken stock
- ½ cup Green olives, halved
- 1 cup Frozen peas
- 2 tsp Oregano
- ½ bunch Cilantro, chopped
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl or zip top bag large enough to hold all of the chicken. Place the chicken in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. It’s important that it be very dry before being browned. Use a knife to trim any excess skin from the bottom of the thighs.
- Heat a skillet over high heat and sauté the chicken until the skin is well browned and the bottom of the thighs are nicely browned too. You won’t be able to brown all of the skin on the drumsticks.
- Add ½ - 1 tablespoon of oil to a dutch oven and fry the onions, peppers, and chopped ham until they all begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for another 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in rice and cook for 1-2 minutes. Some pieces of rice will start to brown. If it starts to burn, move on to the next step.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, olives, peas, oregano, and water (or chicken broth if using). Mix very well. Lay the chicken pieces on top, pressing them down into the liquid slightly. Keep the skin of the thighs facing up.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. This will likely happen quickly, within 2-5 minutes. Cover the dutch oven with a lid, then reduce heat to low and cook for 45 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, but leave the lid closed for 10 minutes. Open the lid and remove the chicken to a plate. Add the chopped cilantro to the rice and fluff the rice, stirring in the cilantro as you do. Return the chicken to the pot and serve.