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This recipe for the chicken and rice Cuban style is sponsored by Sedano’s Festival of Savings. The opinions and text are all mine.
I enjoy shopping at Sedano’s because I find all my favorite products including all the ingredients for the yummy chicken and rice dish called in Spanish “arroz con pollo.”
All ingredients for the chicken and rice recipe are part of the Festival of Savings promotion at Sedano’s!
This Cuban style rice dish celebrates my husband’s roots. This yellow rice chicken used to be my mother in law’s favorite meal too. I would prepare this chicken and rice for her regularly and she would even shop with me at Sedano’s for all the ingredients.
I lived in Miami for a few years, where I loved to cook the Cuban fricassee and the chicken and rice dishes. There I was used to shopping at Sedano’s Supermarkets often. When I moved to Orlando, I was glad to find I could keep the tradition as there is a Sedano’s in my neighborhood too.
At Sedano’s Supermarkets, we found everything for this yummy chicken and rice recipe!
Shopping at Sedano’s Supermarket is like a trip down memory lane as I can find all needed ingredients for the chicken and rice, plus many Hispanic products. Not to mention the prepared meals, traditional bakery items, and freshly made Cuban cafecito that becomes part of the shopping experience.
Sedano’s Supermarkets is a family business and has a long story in serving the Miami community. Their first store opened in 1962 in Hialeah. Since then, the operation has grown, and now there are thirty-five stores in the state of Florida.
In the early eighties, I didn’t think that one day I would live in Florida. I was used to traveling from Mexico and visiting with my aunt in Miami. She is from Olguin, Cuba, and would prepare the yummiest chicken and rice dinner and introduced me to shopping at Sedano’s too. Shopping trips to this store became a must-do while vacationing in South Florida!
We created a complete menu including the chicken and rice, a side dish, a refreshing beverage, and dessert. Using products found at Sedano’s Supermarket.
Enjoying a Cuban style meal with the family!
The Cuban culinary culture has a strong influence from Spain, so the yellow rice chicken resembles a paella but has no chorizo nor seafood. And the secret for the best results is Mahatma Rice. This rice has been a tradition in my kitchen for many years now. The flavor is delicious, and the quality superb. Find it at Sedano’s Supermarkets in the rice aisle.
For additional flavor, we like to use butter and olive oil for sautéing the chicken and rice. At Sedano’s, I found the full line of Country Crock® Plant-Based products. I purchased the spread and the plant butter sticks. I used the olive oil sticks for the dish, and the almond butter spread for the Cuban bread. Both provide a creamy taste that the entire family enjoys.
A Cuban style yellow rice chicken must include a side of plantains and a fresh salad. I also chose tomato slices dressed with Italian herbs and Hellmann’s Mayonnaise with real taste and less waste since the bottle is 100% recycled.
At Sedano’s, I found a product that I wasn’t familiar with and loved it. The product is Lipton Aguas Frescas. I bought the pineapple mango flavor and served it with frappe ice, fresh pineapple chunks, and maraschino cherries. The drink looks so cute, and it is a perfect complement to the chicken and rice meal.
In our home, a meal is not complete if it doesn’t include a serving of rice and be followed by dessert, so before I left my Sedano’s Supermarket, I passed by the frozen products aisle and bought a tub of Breyer’s ice cream in the homemade vanilla flavor. The ice cream does taste like homemade and I served it with strawberries and coconut cookies to put my own spin on it. The perfect ending to a memorable meal!
Learn the tips and tricks for making the best chicken and rice Cuban style.
- Use a dutch oven or a deep rice pan called “arrocera” in Spanish. The pan must include a lid.
- Use two cups of Mahatma long-grain white rice.
- The original chicken and rice recipe calls for chicken thighs and drums. My family prefers chicken breast, but the dish is more flavorful when using pre-seasoned dark chicken meat.
- To add a creamy note, use Country Crock olive oil plant-based butter and olive oil to avoid the butter burning.
- Saffron is a key ingredient to achieve a yellow color. It is also possible to use yellow rice chicken condiment instead.
- Use one cup of chicken broth. This ingredient adds depth of chicken flavor, which is characteristic in this dish.
- Sliced olives, fresh garlic, and piquillo peppers are essential too. The three ingredients balance the flavors.
- For achieving an authentic flavor, include bay leaves, black pepper, and chicken bouillon too.
- The recipe for the chicken and rice recipe calls for two cups of rice. We recommend one cup of chicken stock, plus three cups of warm water. The ratio of liquid when cooking rice is two cups of liquid per cup of rice.
Chicken and Rice Cuban Style or “Arroz con Pollo”
Equipment
- Dutch oven with a lid
- Chopping block
- Knife
- Wooden spatula
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plant-based butter (recommend Country Crock plant-based products)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 chicken breasts, deboned and cut into chunks
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 piquillo pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup Spanish olives, sliced
- 1 pinch saffron
- 1 teaspoon yellow rice condiment
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 2 cups long grain rice (recommend Mahatma Rice)
- 1 cup chicken stock (canned or homemade)
- 3 cups warm water
- 2 cups frozen peas
For the Tomato-Cucumber Salad
- 3 tomatoes on the vine, sliced
- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
- 1 teaspoon mayonnaise (recommend Hellman's Real Mayonnaise)
- 1 pinch italian seasoning
For the Pineapple Mango Agua Fresca
- 4 cups cold water
- 1/2 cup Lipton Aguas Frescas pineapple mango flavor
- 1 cup frappe ice
- 2 slices pineapple, cut into chunks
- 2 cherries
For the Ice Cream Cup
- 1 scoop vanilla ice cream (we recommend Breyer's ice cream)
- 4 strawberries, sliced
- 4 coconut cookies
Instructions
- Place the pot on the stove over low-medium heat and add the olive oil plant-based butter along with the olive oil to avoid the butter to burn. Sautee the bay leaves to revive the flavor.
- Add the chicken breast chunks and cook. Add the garlic, the piquillo peppers, and the olives. Season with the saffron and the yellow rice condiment. Stir and add the rice.
- Incorporate the chicken stock, the chicken bouillon, and two and a half cups of warm water. Stir slowly and cover with a lid. Let the rice cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
- As a final step add the frozen peas and the rest of the water which should be warm and no more than half of a cup. Cover again with the lid and cook the rice for another five minutes. When the rice has an al dente texture it is ready.
- Serve the rice with sweet plantains. We used frozen plantains and cook them in the oven. Add a salad using tomato slices and cucumbers. Dress with Hellman's Real Mayonnaise and Italian seasoning.
- Slice a Cuban bread and spread each slice with Country Crock almond plant-based butter spread. Bake for 2-3 minutes and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Use a dutch oven or a deep rice pan called “arrocera” in Spanish. The pan must include a lid.
- Use two cups of Mahatma long-grain white rice.
- The original chicken and rice recipe calls for chicken thighs and drums. My family prefers chicken breast, but the dish is more flavorful when using pre-seasoned dark chicken meat.
- To add a creamy note, use Country Crock olive oil plant-based butter and olive oil to avoid the butter burning.
- Saffron is a key ingredient to achieve a yellow color. It is also possible to use yellow rice chicken condiment instead.
- Use one cup of chicken broth. This ingredient adds depth of chicken flavor, which is characteristic in this dish.
- Sliced olives, fresh garlic, and piquillo peppers are essential too. The three ingredients balance the flavors.
- For achieving an authentic flavor, include bay leaves, black pepper, and chicken bouillon too.
- The recipe for the chicken and rice recipe calls for two cups of rice. We recommend one cup of chicken stock, plus three cups of warm water. The ratio of liquid when cooking rice is two cups of liquid per cup of rice.
Nutrition
Have you tried the arroz con pollo recipe? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram and or Facebook using the handle @adrianasbestrecipes and this hashtag #ABRecipes Happy Eats!
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