This Spanish chicken and rice recipe (AKA Turmeric Arroz con Pollo) is flavorful, savory, and saucy comfort food.
Chicken thighs are simmered in chicken broth, turmeric, and tomatoes and are served over a yellow rice with peas and carrots.
Spanish Chicken and Rice Variations
Wanna go the extra mile? Salt and pepper the chicken thighs first and sear it in batches to give it a crispy outer layer.
Do this before starting the onions and then cook the onions in the fond (chicken bits) with a little bit of oil.
Don't like thighs? Use breast but cook the sauce first for ~30 minutes and add in the chicken breast for about 15-20 minutes or until done.
Chicken breast cooks much faster than thighs, but chicken thighs are very tender when cooked for a long time at a low heat.
Can't find stewed tomatoes for Turmeric arroz con Pollo? Cool, use canned diced tomatoes or fire roasted diced tomatoes instead or chop some fresh tomatoes.
Use real saffron if you got the cash! Use ~15-20 saffron threads in place of the teaspoon of turmeric in the chicken main recipe and use ~10 saffron threads in the yellow rice if substituting.
Notes on Cooking Yellow Rice For Arroz con Pollo
The yellow Spanish rice recipe (AKA Arroz Amarillo) is a colorful and versatile side dish with peas and carrots. The color comes from the addition of a little bit of saffron or turmeric.
Nearly all rice generally takes a 1:2 ratio (rice:water), but the more you increase the rice, the less the water ratio gets (so if cooking larger quantities you need less water).
Undercooked rice? Add a little more water and/or turn down the heat and cook a little longer.
What kind of rice do you use for Spanish yellow rice? Any, your favorite...
I usually go with a fluffy long grain white basmati rice, but jasmine, short grain, or brown rice work too.
Short grain is generally stickier. Usually, we love this vibrant yellow color, so a white rice variety will show that best.
Uses For Leftovers Of Turmeric Arroz con Pollo
Let's assume you have Spanish chicken and rice leftovers...
Spanish chicken and rice is delicious for dinner and any leftover flavorful sauce can be used the next morning to poach an egg for breakfast. Seriously, this is one of my favorite comfort food recipes, even for breakfast!
Bonus: Use leftover yellow rice the next day by adding meat or veggies from your fridge or freezer and make a fried rice main dish.
Chop up that one piece of chicken that's left or add a piece of chopped up sandwich ham and an egg. Fry it all up in the yellow rice with peas and carrots and add some frozen broccoli.
Turmeric Arroz con Pollo (Spanish Chicken And Rice)
EatSimpleFood.com
This delicious and saucy Spanish chicken and rice (AKA Turmeric Arroz con Pollo) recipe can be made in a crockpot on low for 4-6 hours or by throwing everything in a stockpot and simmering ~ 45 minutes.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Crockpot / Instapot / Braised, Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Diet: Comfort Food, Dairy-Free, Gluten Free
Ingredients
Ingredient List Stew:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 2 small red peppers, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 ½ lb chicken thighs, boneless & skinless
- 1 ½ tablespoon capers, drained
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 15 oz canned stewed tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup onion, diced
- ½ cup carrots, diced
- 2 cups long grain rice
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ cups broth or water
- 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
Instructions
If using a Crock-pot
If using a stockpot
- Bring a large pot to medium high heat and enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onions and red peppers and cook ~ 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered ~45 minutes or until chicken is done.
For yellow rice:
- Bring a medium size pot to medium high heat and add oil. When hot, add onions and carrots and cook ~ 4-5 minutes.
- Add rice, turmeric, and salt and stir to coat.
- Add broth or water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook ~ 20 minutes (or according to package instructions).
- Remove from heat and add peas (after rice is cooked) and keep rice covered to steam them ~ 8 minutes (this keeps their vibrant color).
- Remove lid and fluff rice before serving. Serve chicken over rice and add salt to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie
Notes
- Undercooked rice? Add a little more water and/or turn down the heat when cooking. Rice generally takes a 1:2 ratio (rice:water), but the more you increase the amount of rice, the less the water ratio gets (so if cooking larger quantities, you need less water).
- Can't find stewed tomatoes? Cool, use canned diced tomatoes or fire roasted diced tomatoes instead.
Serving Suggestion
Serve this Spanish Chicken and Rice recipe with a dip or a salad, or dress it up / make it more authentic by using yellow rice.
You May Also Like
If you like this Turmeric Arroz Con Pollo recipe, then you may also like these easy boneless skinless chicken thigh recipes.
I made this chicken last night. I didn't have time for the rice so having with naan bread. It is good for autumn and definitely has a Spanish food flair. I like it.
sounds so delicious Lisa!