Name: Arroz con pollo
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 4 bone-in chicken thighs, about 220 g each; chilled; 320 g dry long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained; 110 g fresh coriander leaves, thoroughly washed; 130 g red onion, diced; 15 g garlic, minced; 40 g ají amarillo paste; 100 g peas, fresh or frozen; 110 g carrot, small dice; 100 g red sweet pepper, strips; 45 ml neutral vegetable oil; 650 ml unsalted chicken stock, cold; 6 g fine salt; 2 g ground cumin; 1 g black pepper

Peruvian arroz con pollo — coriander-green rice

Yield 4 generous plates

Prep 25 minutes

Cook 50 minutes

Passive 5 minutes

Total 80 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Peruvian arroz con pollo — coriander-green rice

Peruvian arroz con pollo is not simply plain rice topped with chicken. Fresh coriander, called culantro in Peru, infuses the cooking liquid and gives the rice its characteristic green tint. The rice absorbs the seasoning and chicken juices as it cooks.

Across Peruvian households the cooking liquid may include dark beer, stock or other regional liquids. Here a measured quantity of unsalted stock keeps the result predictable while ají amarillo supplies the recognisable chilli note. The chicken is browned first, then finished in the same pot so its flavour carries into the rice.

The most useful control is liquid management. Too much stirring breaks cooked rice; too little covered heat leaves hard centres. Keep the pot covered during the gentle simmer, check the thickest chicken piece with a thermometer and let the rice rest before fluffing.

Ingredients

4 bone-in chicken thighs, about 220 g each; chilled
320 g dry long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained
110 g fresh coriander leaves, thoroughly washed
130 g red onion, diced
15 g garlic, minced
40 g ají amarillo paste
100 g peas, fresh or frozen
110 g carrot, small dice
100 g red sweet pepper, strips
45 ml neutral vegetable oil
650 ml unsalted chicken stock, cold
6 g fine salt
2 g ground cumin
1 g black pepper

Method

Blend a green stock.Blend all 110 g washed coriander with 250 ml of the measured 650 ml stock until smooth. Set aside, and keep the remaining 400 ml stock for the pot. The liquid is finely speckled and pours without leaf clumps.
Brown the chicken.Heat the 45 ml oil in a heavy lidded pot over medium-high heat. Season the four thighs with salt, cumin and pepper, sear skin-side down for 6 minutes and other side for 4 minutes, then remove to a clean plate. The skin releases from the pot and is golden in patches; the chicken is not yet cooked.
Cook the onion and ají.Reduce to medium heat; stir in 130 g onion for 5 minutes, garlic for 1 minute and 40 g ají amarillo for 3 minutes. The onion softens and the paste has no raw-chilli smell.
Simmer chicken with green stock.Add the blended coriander stock and the remaining 400 ml stock. Return thighs to the pot, cover and simmer for 12 minutes. Liquid bubbles gently around the pieces and the chicken is beginning to soften.
Cook the rice and vegetables.Lift the thighs to a clean dish briefly. Stir in the 320 g rice, 100 g peas, 110 g carrot and 100 g red pepper. Nestle the thighs on top, cover tightly and cook at low heat for 18 minutes, without stirring the rice. Rice is tender with no chalky core, liquid is absorbed, and each thigh reaches 74 °C at its thickest part.
Rest and loosen.Turn off the heat and leave the covered pot undisturbed for 5 minutes; transfer thighs to plates and gently fluff the rice with a fork. Separate green rice grains retain their shape and the chicken is still hot.

Practical

Serving, storage and substitutions

If your saucepan loses steam around the lid, use a tight lid and keep the heat low rather than repeatedly uncovering. Fresh cilantro is important: dried coriander leaf cannot give the same green sauce. The rice is weighed dry, not already cooked; changing to cooked rice would alter both the stock ratio and the entire timing. Using unsalted stock allows the measured 6 g salt to remain predictable. Refrigerate divided portions within two hours at 4 °C or below. For safer rice handling, cool the rice portion as quickly as possible, ideally within one hour, and use refrigerated rice within 24 hours; reheat once to 74 °C. Separate chicken from rice for faster chilling.

Control points

Rice is wet after the chicken is cookedLiquid was not fully absorbed. Keep the lid on and allow a few more minutes over very low heat rather than increasing to a scorching boil.
Rice is hard but the pan is dryThe pot lost moisture. Add a small measured splash of hot stock only if necessary and cover until the grain centres soften.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size1 of 4 plates (one thigh and about 250 g rice mixture)
Calories730 kcal
Carbohydrates74 g
Protein39 g
Fat30 g
Fibre5 g
Sodium760 mg

Allergens and food safety

No major regulated allergens are inherent in the listed ingredients; check bottled ají paste and stock labels. Chicken must reach 74 °C at the thickest point, not touching bone. Chill rice rapidly and reheat refrigerated rice only once, to 74 °C.

Closing

Tender chicken sits above separate green rice grains scented with coriander and ají amarillo. Brown the thighs, control the stock quantity and leave the rice covered while it steams.

Peruvian arroz con pollo — coriander-green rice

Ingredients

Ingredients

Method

Practical

Serving, storage and substitutions

Control points

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

Closing

Peruvian National Dishes

Cuy chactado

Papa rellena

Seco de cabrito