Arroz con Pollo a la Mexicana (Mexican Chicken and Rice)
Chicken thighs and rice cooked in one pan with tomato salsa and chicken broth, a family dinner with peas, carrot and plenty of flavour.
Made with Salsa roja (cooked red salsa) and Mexican chicken stock (caldo de pollo). Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time50 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £3.09 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs almost clear and drain well.
2 min - 2
Season the chicken with salt. Heat the oil in a wide pan with a lid over a medium-high heat and brown the thighs for 4 minutes per side. Lift out.
8 min - 3
In the same pan, fry the rice for 3 minutes until lightly golden. Add the onion, garlic and carrot and cook for 3 minutes.
6 min - 4
Stir in your ready made salsa roja (see the base recipe) and the hot caldo de pollo with a pinch of salt. Return the chicken, bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
20 min - 5
Scatter over the peas, cover and rest off the heat for 10 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked through with no pink.
10 min - 6
Fluff the rice with a fork, scatter over coriander and serve with lime.
Tips
- Cook everything in a pan with a tight lid. If the lid is loose, cover with foil first so steam stays in.
- Brown the chicken first and leave the dark sticky bits in the pan. They flavour the rice.
- Do not stir after the lid goes on, or the rice turns sticky instead of fluffy.
Storing and freezing
Cool within 1 hour, divide into containers, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat once only, until steaming hot all the way through. Do not freeze rice dishes more than 1 month.
Questions
Can I use chicken breast?
Yes, but it dries out. Cut it into large chunks and add it after the rice has cooked 10 minutes, or use thigh meat, which stays juicier.
How is this different from arroz rojo?
Arroz rojo is a side dish of tomato rice. This is a main course with browned chicken cooked in the rice and a salsa roja flavour, more like a Mexican pilaf.
Is it gluten free and dairy free?
Yes, with homemade caldo and salsa roja. It has no gluten, dairy, egg or nuts.
More made with salsa roja (cooked red salsa)
Chiles Poblanos Rellenos de Arroz Verde y Elote (Poblanos Stuffed with Rice and Corn)
GFEFNFTortitas de Papa en Salsa Roja (Potato Patties in Red Salsa)
GFNFVQuesadillas de Jaiba (Crab Quesadillas)
GFEFNFPapas con Rajas y Huevo (Potatoes with Pepper Strips and Eggs)
DFNFVDouble check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.