Ana’s Arroz con Pollo, Cuban-Style

Arroz con pollo comes in almost as many different variations as there are Latino families living in the U.S., but we assure you that Ana Osadzinski (Colet)’s Cuban-style arroz con pollo is truly special. The Illinois abuela’s take on this hearty dish popular across Latin America (and especially in Cuba and Puerto Rico, we’ve found)‚ calls for starting with an entire chicken, a bright mix of peppers and aromatics, and at least double the amount of dried herbs we’re used to seeing in this dish. A highlight is the dish’s signature raspadura: cooked rice that is caramelized and crispy, clinging to the edges of the pot. (This is the another name for the famously fought-over, crispy, bottom-of-the-pan rice that Puerto Ricans calls pegao and Dominicans call concón. We call it delicioso.)

Though arroz con pollo is a complete meal on its own (protein, starch, vegetables), Ana’s family loves eating it (and all of her Cuban family dishes) with a side of platanos maduros and/or yuca with mojo.

Ana, who was born in Bayamo, located in Cuba’s Oriente province, and moved to the States at age 14, is the go-to daily cook in her family, even though her husband was an executive chef by profession. It’s a job she takes very seriously. Luckily, Ana has lots of extended family members in the Chicagoland area where she lives, meaning plenty of family get-togethers with lots of hungry people to feed.

Most of Ana’s traditional Cuban dishes were passed on to her by her mother, and she’s added her own spin over the years. Ana especially likes to healthy up her favorite Cuban dishes, reimagining them as low-salt and substituting extra spices and garlic for high-fat ingredients. 

Now, Ana is teaching her family-famous recipes to her children and grandchildren, passing on the torch of abuela-style Latino cooking. One of her and her oldest granddaughter Olivia’s favorite parts of making this dish is the ”sofrito (the traditional cooking base) that is at the foundation of this dish. And we love the crispy rice on the bottom and sides of the pot after it has cooked,” says Ana. While they cook, Ana, who Olivia calls “Ita,” short for Abuelita, also like to sneak in impromptu Spanish lessons.

Of course, their favorite part of each the cooking class is sampling the final product. Cecilia says she especially loves the flavor of this dish’s savory rice mixed with the drumstick’s dark meat. And ”she even gnaws on the chicken bone just like her Ita,” says Ana, proudly.

This Cuban abuela is equally family-famous for these other traditional dishes from her birthplace, including picadillo, yuca con mojo, ropa vieja and bistec encebollado. Find more variations on family-famous arroz con pollo recipes by our Familia Kitchen community of homecooks here.

Ready to try Ana’s Cuban Arroz con Pollo?

Ana’s Arroz con Pollo, Cuban-Style

Recipe by Ana Osadzinski (Colet)

4.0 from 4 votes

Cuisine: Cuban

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, whole, chopped into 8 pieces

• 1 Tbsp adobo

• 1 Tbsp oregano

• 1 Tbsp basil

• 1 Tbsp cumin

• 1 Tbsp dried parsley

• 1 Tbsp onion or garlic powder

• For the Rice

• 1 Tbsp adobo seasoning

• 1 Tbsp oregano

• 1 Tbsp basil

• 1 Tbsp cumin

• 1 Tbsp dried parsley

• 1 Tbsp onion or garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp Bijol seasoning (a Cuban seasoned achiote powder product. Alterately, use sazon)

• 1 1/2 cups white rice, long grain

• 14 to 16 oz diced tomatoes, canned

• 8 oz tomato sauce

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

• 1/2 orange bell pepper, finely chopped

• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1/3 cup Manzanilla olives, pimento-stuffed, thinly sliced

• 1 tbsp capers, finely chopped

• salt, to taste

• 1/2 cup roasted pimento strips, canned

• 1/2 cup baby peas, optional

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Cut the whole chicken into 8 pieces (2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 breasts, 2 wings).
• Rinse the chicken pieces under fresh running water and then pat dry.
• Season the chicken with the dry seasonings, rubbing them in well.
• Heat ⅓ cup of olive oil in a large and deep pot set to medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and sauté until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
• While the chicken is sauteing, rinse the rice 2 to 3 times, until the water runs clear. Let the rice dry slightly and then add Bijol or achiote-infused sazon seasoning (this adds the dish’s signature amber color to the rice, but remember: You will also get more color when you add the tomato sauce).
• When the sauteing chicken is golden brown on all sides, and about ¾ of the way cooked through), remove from the pot and set aside.
• Add all the fresh, chopped bell peppers, onions and garlic to the pan, sauteing it in the same oil and juices from the cooked chicken. Add more oil, if needed.
• Sauté the vegetables until almost tender. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and bay leaves.
• Take ½ cup of the wine and use it to rinse out the cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce (for flavor) and add that liquid to the pot of vegetables, along with the dry seasonings for the rice. Note: You will need 3 total cups of liquid to cook the rice, which you’ll get from the combination of the wine and the liquid from the cans. If you want to make a sofrito, you will need to add more liquid and additional seasonings, to your taste.
• Bring the liquid with the vegetables come to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
• Add the capers and the sliced Manzanilla olives. Bring to a boil again and cook for 5 minutes.
• At this point, if you are making the sofrito, drain the liquid and remove the bay leaves. Puree the remaining vegetables.
• Take 3 cups of the resulting sofrito and put it back in the pot. Add your browned chicken and uncooked rice to the pot, and use a fork to mix the rice in with the chicken.
• Cook on medium heat until the liquid mixture comes to a boil.
• Once the pot comes to a boil, put the pot in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the rice is tender.
• Take the pot out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken from the pot to your serving platter. Then take out the rice and place it around the chicken on the platter.
• Garnish the chicken and rice with the slices of roasted pimento on top and a sprinkling of the optional peas, which adds color and a touch of sweet.

Notes

• Traditional arroz con pollo recipes call for sprinkling baby peas over the rice and chicken at the end, but Ana’s mom (Ita) always left them out since she didn’t like peas as a kid.