Easy One-Pot Instant Pot Arroz Con Pollo Recipe

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Cooking With Anadi

12K subscribers · fragrant, peppery chicken and rice with Puerto Rican flavors

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I don’t know about you, but when I discover a new way to simplify my dinner by using the Instant Pot, I’m always excited! An extra bonus is when I’m cooking chicken - as I always say, chicken is my favorite bird, and whenever you’ve got chicken or another protein option, I’ll always pick the chicken! I’ve I’ve got plenty of Instant Pot recipes on the blog, ranging from pasta including Instant Pot Penne alla Vodka, chili with my Instant Pot Beef Chili, and even Instant Pot Kheer for dessert! If you’re subscribed to me on YouTube, then you know that for the month of September, I’ve been doing an Instant Pot theme with my recipes. Whether or not you have a YouTube channel, I encourage you to participate in the theme for the rest of the month! I go into more details about how having a theme can give you inspiration in the kitchen in my top 5 kitchen tips guide, Make Cooking Fun!, so be sure to download that by signing up to my newsletter! Additionally, I’ve not made much Spanish food before. I’ve made a paella a few times and that’s pretty much it! If you’re new to Spanish food too, then you can try this out as part of your Destinations Unseen theme in my Live to Cook one-month challenge, which you’ll also get by signing up for my newsletter! Share your delicious creations by tagging me on Instagram!

Don’t forget to watch the video to follow along with the steps as I prepare this delicious recipe, so that you’re set up for success! Let’s get cooking!

What Is Arroz Con Pollo?

Arroz con Pollo directly translates to “chicken and rice” in Spanish. It is very popular in Spanish and Latin America, and there are different variations depending on the region: there are Colombian, Puerto Rican, Spanish, and Cuban preparations. This recipe will be a take on the Puerto Rican variation, as you’ll see with the sofrito.

Why You’ll Love Instant Pot Puerto Rican Rice!

• Easy to follow: We just need to marinate the chicken, blend up our sofrito, then start cooking in the Instant Pot!
• Nutritious: This Puerto Rican chicken and rice is loaded with so many veggies coming from the variety of peppers and the onion!
• Balanced meal: Arroz con Pollo is protein-packed meal from the chicken thighs, and we have carbs from our rice. We’ve also got some healthy fats coming from the olive oil used and a bit of fat from the chicken thighs. We have a great balance of all macronutrients to fuel your body and keep you full for a satisfying weeknight dinner!
• Minimal clean-up: This is almost a one-pot meal! You’ll just need a blender for the sofrito, but aside from that the only cooking vessel will be the Instant Pot!

Equipment

• Instant Pot
• Cutting board
• Sharp chef’s knife
• Mixing bowl
• Spatula
• Whisk
• Blender
• Garlic press
• Tongs
• Measuring spoons
• Pepper mill
• Measuring cup
• Serving spoon

Ingredients for Arroz Con Pollo

Time to review the ingredients needed for our chicken and rice. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card or click the “Jump to Recipe” button for ingredient quantities and to save the recipe for later. You can also scale the recipe based on how many portions you want to make - all ingredients are automatically scaled for you!

• Chicken: I’m using boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You can substitute with chicken breast if you’d like, but the meat may not be as juicy because chicken breast is drier than thigh.
• Rice: Use a medium-grain rice. Options include arborio, valencia bomba or carnaroli. I’ll be using arborio rice.
• Tomatoes: I’m using tomatoes on the vine as part of our sofrito.
• Onion: To make this authentic, use a yellow onion, also known as a Spanish onion.
• Peppers: I’ll be using a combination of jalapeno, red peppers, Cubanelle peppers, and Habanero peppers. You can also use ajices dulces if you have them at your grocery store.
• Garlic cloves: Added to the sofrito.
• Cilantro: Mixed in for the sofrito and can be used for garnish if not using scallions.
• Broth: Use chicken broth here. I recommend the low-sodium or no salt added varieties so that you can control the amount of salt based on the flavors of the dish and your own preference.
• Spices: The spices for the chicken marinade are garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, chili powder, paprika and salt. For the rice, we’ll add a bay leaf, and season with ground cumin, ground coriander, salt and pepper to taste.
• Tomato paste: Adds some extra depth to the dish.
• Olive oil: Used for our chicken marinade and to cook the rice.
• Passata: These are strained tomatoes. If you can’t find passata, you can use more fresh tomatoes that have been pureed, or use canned tomatoes and remove the pulp by hand.
• Vinegar: Adds a tanginess to the chicken marinade.
• Scallions: Freshly chopped scallions for garnish.

How to Make Instant Pot Arroz Con Pollo

Marinating the Chicken

In a bowl, add all the ingredients besides the chicken. Whisk well to prepare the marinade.

Add the chicken and using tongs or a clean set of hands massage the chicken well with the marinade. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 10-15 minutes prior to cooking to take off the chill.

For the Arroz Con Pollo

Prepare the sofrito by adding the chopped onions, red peppers, Cubanelle peppers, jalapeño peppers or ajices dulces, habanero, tomatoes, garlic and the cilantro leaves in a food processor. Leave the cilantro stems aside for later. Pulse until the veggies are finely chopped.

Select Saute on High and add olive oil to the Instant Pot. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken and cook until browned on each side. About 3-5 minutes per side.

Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl or plate and set aside. Deglaze the Instant Pot with a splash of chicken broth.

Add more oil to the Instant Pot if needed and add the sofrito. Stir and cook the sofrito until most of the moisture from the veggies has evaporated. Once ready, the sofrito should have thickened, become fragrant and some of the oil should have released on the edges. Make sure to stir often and deglaze if needed.

Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, tomato paste, cilantro stems, pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Stir and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.

Stir in chicken broth, bay leaf, and the chicken that was set aside. Mix well. Add the passata and spread out with a spatula. Make sure to not stir in the passata. Add the rice and gently push down on it so it is submersed in the broth.

Close the lid of the Instant Pot and select Pressure Cook mode on High pressure and Normal heat and cook for 6 minutes. Make sure the valve is in sealing mode.

Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then carefully turn the valve to release any remaining pressure.

Open the Instant Pot and gently stir the rice. Let the rice cool down for 10 or so minutes. Taste and adjust for salt.

Serve hot, garnished with chopped cilantro or scallions.

Tips & Tricks

• Prepare the sofrito in batches if needed until all the veggies are finely chopped.
• Use a medium grained rice for best results and texture.
• Make sure layer the ingredients in the Instant Pot as depicted to ensure the starches from the rice does not cause anything to stick and burning.
• After the Instant Pot Pressure lid has been opened, let the rice cool down slightly for a couple minutes before stirring.
• Enjoy it fresh for best experience, reheating might cause the rice to become over cooked.

How to Make Arroz Con Pollo over the Stove

You can follow the recipe as advised over the stove top until the pressure cooker and layering step.

Once you have added the chicken and broth, add the passata and rice as well and mix well.

Bring the broth to a simmer and lower the heat to ensure the broth is still simmering as the rice cooks.

Stir ever so often and add more broth if needed. You can keep some broth warmed in a separate saucepan to ensure you save some cook time if more broth is needed.

Once the rice is cooked, garnish and serve warm.

Other Chicken & Rice Recipes

• Spicy One-Pot Chicken & Rice
• One-Pot Chicken & Rice with Veggies
• Deconstructed Chicken Masala Bowl
• Souvlaki Chicken Skewers with Lemon Rice

What This Puerto Rican Version Leaves Out

If you have eaten arroz con pollo in Puerto Rico or cooked it from Puerto Rican cookbooks, a few things will be missing here. There are no olives, and no pimiento-stuffed green olives either, which plenty of versions scatter through the rice. There is no annatto, so the color comes from the sofrito, the 1 tbsp of tomato paste and the 1/2 cup of passata rather than from achiote oil. I do not add peas, though a handful stirred through after the pressure release is an easy addition if you want them. And there is no tomato sauce as such: the passata goes in and is deliberately not stirred, spread across the top so the rice underneath cooks in broth rather than in tomato. The heat comes from 1/3 of a habanero, the sweetness from the ajices dulces and the cubanelle, and the bulk of the vegetables from one Spanish vidalia onion, one red pepper and two tomatoes on the vine. A green pepper will stand in for the red if that is what you have, and the dish only loses a little sweetness; both are bell peppers and behave the same way in the sofrito. Note too that the chicken is marinated separately for at least 30 minutes in olive oil, vinegar, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 tbsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1 1/2 tsp salt. The 6 garlic cloves and the black pepper go into the sofrito, not the marinade.

Working the Instant Pot: Saute, Seal, and the 10-Minute Release