Arroz con pollo is one of the recipes most requested by locals from my Taste of Tucson cookbook, and I’ve always found chicken and rice to be a comforting combo. This is a great make ahead recipe for workday lunches. At first glance may look like pureed tomato sauce, but it’s got a medium spicy kick of heat that will convince you otherwise.
This one pot arroz con pollo is one of the most requested recipe from my Taste of Tucson cookbook. Chicken thighs brown directly in the pot, then rice toasts in the same pan before everything simmers together in a Sonoran-style braise of El Pato salsa de chile fresco, red wine, chicken broth, Mexican oregano, and red chile powder. Cotija cheese stirs in at the end and crumbles over the top. One pot, one cleanup, deeply satisfying.
El Pato salsa de chile fresco is the ingredient that makes this recipe distinctly Sonoran. It looks like pureed tomato sauce at first glance, but it carries a medium spicy kick that transforms the entire dish. Find it in the Latin foods aisle of most grocery stores.
What Makes The Sonoran-Style Arroz con Pollo Recipe Special?
The rice toasts in the chicken fat left in the pan after browning the thighs, which gives it a nutty, savory depth before any liquid is added. The braise uses both red wine and El Pato salsa as the liquid base instead of plain broth, which builds a complexity that plain chicken-and-rice recipes never achieve. The Cotija cheese at the end adds a salty, crumbly finish. It also makes excellent leftovers. The rice absorbs even more flavor overnight, which makes this one of the better make-ahead weekday lunches in the rotation.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 cups diced white onion
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- ½ cup spicy red wine such as Malbec
- 4 cups chicken broth divided
- 1 tsp granulated chicken-flavored bouillon preferably Knorr brand
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 8-oz can Salsa de Chile Fresco preferably El Pato brand
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 cup frozen peas & carrots
- 1 tablespoon red chile powder
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
- ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese plus more for serving
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken thighs and onion and cook until the chicken is browned, about 4 minutes on each side. The onion will soften.
- Remove the chicken, leaving the onion in the pan, and set aside. Add the rice and remaining 1 tabespoon of butter, then sauté until the rice is lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
- Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to dislodge the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add 2 cups of the broth, the chicken-flavored bouillon, and the garlic. Simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.
- Add the salsa, vinegar, peas and carrots, chile powder, oregano, cayenne, and the remaining 2 cups broth. Stir, then return the browned chicken to the pot with its juices. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Stir in the Cotija cheese. Season to taste with the salt and black pepper. Spoon the rice over the chicken pieces and serve in wide shallow bowls sprinkled with additional cheese.
