Mild Arroz con Pollo for Kids
Puerto Rico's favourite one-pot chicken and rice, gently sweetened with peppers and tomato, coloured golden with achiote and studded with peas — all the flavour of the classic, none of the heat.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Soften the vegetables
Heat the olive oil in a large pot (at least 4 litres/4 quarts) over medium heat. Add the onion, both peppers and the garlic, and cook 4–5 minutes, stirring, until soft but not browned.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
✅ Done when: vegetables are soft with no browning
Cook the chicken
Keep the pot over medium heat, add the chicken and cook 6–7 minutes, stirring now and then, until fully cooked through with no pink left inside.
- 500 g chicken thighs
✅ Done when: chicken reaches 74°C / 165°F, no pink inside
Toast the rice
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Simmer, lid on
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Add the peas
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Serve and keep
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Soften the vegetables
Heat the olive oil in a large pot (at least 4 litres/4 quarts) over medium heat. Add the onion, both peppers and the garlic, and cook 4–5 minutes, stirring, until soft but not browned.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
✅ Done when: vegetables are soft with no browning
Cook the chicken
Keep the pot over medium heat, add the chicken and cook 6–7 minutes, stirring now and then, until fully cooked through with no pink left inside.
- 500 g chicken thighs
✅ Done when: chicken reaches 74°C / 165°F, no pink inside
Toast the rice
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Simmer, lid on
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Add the peas
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Serve and keep
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The Story Behind the Dish
Arroz con pollo arrived in Puerto Rico with Spanish settlers, who brought their rice-and-chicken dishes from the Mediterranean. Over generations, Puerto Rican cooks made it their own with sofrito — a soft base of onion, peppers and garlic — and achiote, the seed that gives the rice its warm golden colour.
It became the dish of family Sundays and big celebrations, cooked in one pot big enough to feed the whole table, usually alongside beans, avocado or a simple salad.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's the ultimate Puerto Rican comfort food — a colourful, aromatic, one-pot meal loved by grandparents and children alike, which is why it adapts so naturally into a gentle version for little ones.
💡 Fun Fact
Many Puerto Rican families keep a batch of sofrito frozen in ice cube trays, so a pot of arroz con pollo can come together on any weeknight in minutes.
Puerto Rico, island-wide
18.22°N, -66.59°W
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