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Embracing my Mexican heritage and sharing all the wonderful flavors, colors and foods I grew up with. Join me on this journey as I also learn new foods and cooking techniques. Dedicated to my parents Ramiro and Blanca.

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Home » Chicken~Pollo » Chicken & Rice and a Little Spice! Tomatillo Poblano Arroz con Pollo

Chicken & Rice and a Little Spice! Tomatillo Poblano Arroz con Pollo

June 14, 201418 Comments

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Who doesn’t enjoy a cazuela, piping hot of chicken and rice? This green version of the arroz con pollo is a twist on the typical recipe that I prepare. On most days, my recipe is more tomato and sweet pepper based, but I was having one of those days in the kitchen. You know those days, when you find yourself with ingredients at the end of the week that really need to be used up.  I had three big poblano peppers and a pack of defrosted chicken thighs I had to do something with. 

Every time I prepare arroz con pollo, it takes me back to that great episode of “I Love Lucy”. She was going to meet Ricky’s mom for the first time and wanted to impress her by preparing a Cuban style arroz con pollo. There are many dishes, just like this one, in Latin America that are so similar when it comes to preparing them. They all vary slightly in the ingredients, but the basics are the same. And the warm, comforting feelings of home and Mom’s  or Abuela’s cooking are all the same as well. 

This is a great recipe to prepare for large family dinners and it can be prepared a couple of days in advance. Although there are only two of us, I like this recipe because it’s freezer friendly and we can enjoy it another night when I don’t have time to cook.

Chicken and Rice(Arroz Con Pollo)

A classic combination od chicken and rice with a tomatillo and poblano twist!
4.75 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

Ingredients

For Tomatillo Poblano Sauce

  • 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos previously poached for 10 minutes in simmering water
  • 1 roasted poblano roughly chopped
  • 1 serrano sliced
  • 1 fresh roma tomato quartered
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • Salt to taste

You will also need

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs 6 pieces
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Cumin
  • Olive oil
  • 1 cup white onion diced
  • 2 roasted poblanos diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 cups long grain rice
  • Cilantro for garnish
  • Lime slices or wedges for garnish

Instructions

Directions

  • In the blender, combine all of the ingredients for the tomatillo poblano sauce. Blend on high until smooth, taste for salt and set aside.
  • Season the chicken on both sides with, salt, pepper, garlic and cumin to taste. In a large dutch oven style pot, preheat 4 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat for 5 minutes. Brown and sear the chicken for 4 minutes per side and remove from pot.
  • In the same pot, add the onion, poblanos and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Add the rice and saute for another 5 minutes, adding a little more oil if needed. Pulse the tomatillo poblano sauce in blender to mix again and then pour all the sauce into pot.
  • Once it comes to a boil, add the chicken pieces back into pot making sure that most of the chicken is covered. Reduce heat, cover and continue cooking for 25 to 30 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. 
  • Don't worry if the rice stick a little to the bottom of the pan. That's part of this tasty dish! Remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes. Fluff rice with fork before serving. Garnish with lime slices/wedges and cilantro. Serve with warm tortillas.

Notes

If you would like to prepare 4 servings, you will follow the instructions listed changing a few things. Instead of 6 boneless pieces of chicken thighs, use 4, bone-on, skin on chicken thighs. You will reduce the rice to just 1 cup. And from the salsa you blend, only pour in 3 cups. Serve the remaining salsa, warm,  on the side.
Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

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Filed Under: Chicken~Pollo, Rice~Arroz, Traditional Mexican Recipes Tagged With: Arroz con Pollo, Chicken, Chicken and Rice, Rice

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sonia

    June 16, 2014 at 2:11 pm

    Gracias, Gracias Gary!!! Love the feedback!

    Reply
  2. christy

    November 5, 2014 at 10:50 pm

    What was Gary’s feedback?

    Reply
    • Sonia

      November 6, 2014 at 7:37 am

      Sorry Christy, some of my comments were deleted in my effort to keep up with all the spam comments that have been coming through my blog. He was thanking me for posting the recipe and loved the flavor combinations I used. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Bree Reid

    January 5, 2019 at 8:42 am

    Is there a cannned or jarred substitute for the poached tomatillo? Looking to save time and if I did have the tine to poach the tomatillos how do do you do that

    Reply
    • Sonia

      January 5, 2019 at 8:24 pm

      You peel and wash the fresh tomatillos and drop them into some simmering water for like 10-12 minutes. That’s it. There are canned tomatillos, but fresh is always best.

      Reply
  4. Bree Reid

    January 5, 2019 at 8:50 pm

    Got it….thank you

    Reply
  5. Priscilla

    November 5, 2019 at 9:41 pm

    This is like the 2nd or 3rd recipe I’ve tried from your site and everything is just so wonderful and flavorful! I used canned tomatillos and chili pasilla (my supermarket didn’t have poblano peppers), and the recipe still came out so wonderful! Thank you for all your recipes!

    Reply
    • Sonia

      November 6, 2019 at 2:10 pm

      This makes me soo happy Priscilla! Thank you for the feedback on the recipe. I love that you adapt the recipe and make it your own. Thank You!

      Reply
  6. Linda

    July 15, 2020 at 9:04 pm

    I made this sauce with tomatillos from My garden and it was amazing! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Sonia

      July 16, 2020 at 9:46 pm

      Homegrown tomatillos, yummy! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  7. Victoria from NorCal

    December 21, 2020 at 10:30 pm

    Hola, Sonia! My third recipe I’m making from your site. I could not for the life of me find poblanos, so i googled closest peppers to poblanos and one site recommended Anaheims. So that’s what I went with. I also contemplated pasillas, but anaheim was the final answer lol. It’s still cooking so I will have to keep you posted! It smells sooooo delicous! Thank you for all of your delicious recipes. My mom passed away in October 2020, and she was always my go to for recipes and how to cook different things. She was a walking cook book. I have made it my goal now to learn more about different ingredients and recipes, and hopefully make my own 🙂

    Reply
    • Victoria from NorCal

      December 21, 2020 at 11:40 pm

      another hit! a little spicy for mine and my youngest daughters palate. my husband and my oldest daughter love spicy, so they thought it was perfect. we added some lime and flour tortillas to mask some of the hotness. still delicious! thank you!

      Reply
      • Sonia

        December 22, 2020 at 10:56 am

        Now you are making me hungry! Sounds delicious!

        Reply
    • Sonia

      December 22, 2020 at 10:55 am

      Hi Victoria, In the northeast they are called poblanos. In California and sometimes in Texas they are called pasilla. It’s very confusing. I don’t understand why they have different names. I always thought pasilla was the long skinny, almost black looking, dried chile that I use for mole. I am so happy you improvised and used the Anaheim peppers. That’s exactly what I would have done.

      Reply
  8. Becky

    September 9, 2022 at 4:29 pm

    i’ve made this many times, and eventually I discovered that I can sub in a jar of salsa verde plus 1 c chicken broth for the homemade Tomatillo Poblano Sauce and get nearly identical results for a quick kids-have-sports-all-night dinner!

    Reply
    • Sonia

      September 9, 2022 at 4:31 pm

      That’s awesome Becky! Any goof quality store bought salsa is a super shortcut for many Mexican recipes. It really saves time, I agree!

      Reply
  9. Linda

    April 29, 2024 at 4:08 pm

    Most delish! I enjoy reading thru your recipes. I live in South Texas and Mexican food is my most favorite. Next recipe to try are enchiladas. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Sonia

      April 30, 2024 at 8:34 am

      Hi Linda! Thank you for stopping by! I appreciate your feedback. I am always here to answer any questions.

      Reply

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Welcome!

Hi, my name is Sonia Mendez Garcia. My parents Ramiro and Blanca Mendez moved to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico in 1963. I am first generation Mexican American born in Los Angeles, California. Cooking has always been one of my passions in life. This is my journey and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Read More…

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