Peruvian arroz con pollo is one of the country’s most beloved home-style dishes. Its signature feature is green rice, colored and flavored with blended cilantro, served with browned chicken pieces, vegetables, and a fresh salsa criolla on the side.
Although every family has its own version, the traditional preparation combines chicken, rice, cilantro, ají amarillo, dark beer or stock, peas, carrots, and bell peppers. It is often served for family lunches, Sunday gatherings, and celebrations, usually with papa a la huancaína or onion salad.
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Peruvian Rice with Chicken
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Peruvian
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg bone-in chicken pieces (about 2.6 lb; 8 pieces)
- 500 g white rice (2½ cups)
- 80 g fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems only (2 cups)
- 150 g chopped red onion (1 large onion)
- 20 g garlic paste (4 garlic cloves)
- 45 g ají amarillo paste (3 tablespoons)
- 100 g fresh spinach (2 cups)
- 250 ml dark beer (1 cup)
- 750 ml hot chicken stock (3 cups)
- 120 g fresh or frozen peas (1 cup)
- 100 g carrot, cut into small cubes (1 medium carrot)
- 120 g red bell pepper, cut into strips (1 medium pepper)
- 30 ml vegetable oil (2 tablespoons)
- 5 g ground cumin (1 teaspoon)
- 5 g salt (1 teaspoon)
- 2 g ground black pepper (¼ teaspoon)
- 2 eggs
- 120 g all-purpose flour (1 cup)
- 150 g cooked yellow potatoes (2 small potatoes)
- 100 g fresh cheese (¾ cup)
- 30 ml evaporated milk (2 tablespoons)
- 15 g fresh ají amarillo, seeded and deveined (1 small pepper)
- 10 g crushed soda crackers (2 crackers)
- 10 g chopped cilantro for garnish (¼ cup)
Preparation
- Blend the cilantro, place the cilantro and spinach in a blender with ½ cup of chicken stock. Blend until smooth and set the green mixture aside.
- Brown the chicken, season the chicken pieces with salt, black pepper, and cumin. Heat the oil in a wide pot and brown the chicken on both sides for 8 to 10 minutes, until well colored. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
- Make the green base, cook the onion in the same pot for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ají amarillo paste, cook for 3 more minutes, then pour in the blended cilantro mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring until the sauce darkens slightly and becomes more concentrated.
- Cook the rice and chicken, add the rinsed rice, peas, carrot, bell pepper, dark beer, and remaining hot chicken stock. Stir only once, arrange the chicken pieces over the rice, cover, and cook over low heat for 18 to 20 minutes, until the rice absorbs the liquid and the chicken is fully cooked.
- Rest and serve, turn off the heat and let the arroz con pollo rest for 10 minutes without lifting the lid. Fluff the rice gently with a fork, taking care not to break apart the chicken, then finish with chopped cilantro.
- Make the huancaína sauce, blend the cooked yellow potatoes, fresh cheese, evaporated milk, ají amarillo, and crushed crackers until creamy. Serve a portion alongside the arroz con pollo.
Chef’s tips
- Use fresh, bright green cilantro for the dish’s characteristic color and aroma.
- Brown the chicken before cooking it with the rice; this adds flavor and helps keep the meat juicy.
- Do not stir the rice repeatedly while it cooks, or it can become sticky.
- Adjust the stock slightly depending on the rice variety, aiming for separate grains that remain moist and flavorful.
- Let the rice rest, covered, before serving so the steam finishes the cooking and the grains become fluffier.
Traditional variations
Many Peruvian households serve arroz con pollo with salsa criolla instead of papa a la huancaína. Some versions include corn kernels or use light beer, while others replace part of the stock with chicha de jora for a deeper flavor.
A closely related dish is arroz con pato from northern Peru, especially Lambayeque. It uses the same cilantro-based green rice but features duck instead of chicken.
How to serve
Serve arroz con pollo immediately on wide plates, placing a visible chicken piece on top of the green rice. The most traditional presentation includes papa a la huancaína, salsa criolla, or a fresh onion salad.
Serve chilled chicha morada or Peruvian-style lemonade alongside it. Place ají sauce on the table so everyone can adjust the heat to their taste.
Recommended accompaniments
- Papa a la huancaína
- Salsa criolla
- Onion and tomato salad
- Ground ají amarillo
- Chicha morada
- Peruvian lemonade
Food tradition
Peruvian arroz con pollo has a close connection to arroz con pato, a traditional dish from northern Peru. Both share the use of blended cilantro, which gives the rice its distinctive green color and fresh aroma.
Over time, chicken became a more accessible option for family kitchens in many regions. As a result, arroz con pollo became one of the most common and recognizable dishes in everyday Peruvian cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Its green color comes from blended cilantro, often combined with a small amount of spinach to intensify the color without changing the flavor too much. Cook the mixture into the seasoning base before adding the rice, because this gives the cilantro a deeper flavor and helps the rice develop an even color.
Yes. Replace the dark beer with the same amount of chicken stock. Dark beer adds a lightly toasted background flavor and extra depth, but it is not essential. When you omit it, taste the seasoning base before adding the rice and adjust the salt, cumin, and ají amarillo as needed.
Follow the liquid ratio, cook over low heat with the pot covered, and do not stir the rice while it cooks. Stirring releases starch and can make the rice sticky. Once it has absorbed the liquid, let it rest covered for 10 minutes before fluffing it gently with a fork.
You can, but bone-in pieces such as thighs and drumsticks add more flavor and stay juicier during cooking. When using chicken breast, cut it into large pieces and add it during the final 10 minutes of cooking so it does not dry out.
