Aug
22
One pan Peruvian green chicken and rice, or green arroz con pollo, made with an easy, flavorful green sauce and packed with delicious veggies. Top with fresh cilantro, avocado, jalapeño slices, and a drizzle of yogurt for a global-inspired weeknight dinner the whole family will love!
My grandmother traveled to Peru a few years back and told me all about the interesting food she ate, jungle she climbed through, and of course, the fact that I really needed to try Peruvian-style chicken served with a delicious green sauce.
Truthfully, the whole GREEN sauce thing really intrigued me, so I asked her what ingredients were involved. She told me that it can be a mixture of different herbs and fresh peppers, but that she recommended using poblanos and jalapenos, onions, cilantro and lime juice.
Since these are basically all of my favorite flavors, I was excited to start experimenting on my own take of peruvian chicken and rice, which how this gorgeous Green Arroz Con Pollo was born.
This one pan dinner is a creative, flavorful, fresh take on traditional Arroz Con Pollo (or chicken and rice), except simmered with a slightly spicy green sauce inspired by the country of Peru. LET’S GET THE PARTY STARTED!
What’s in this green chicken and rice?
This Peruvian style green chicken and rice is made with minimal ingredients, plenty of fresh herbs, veggies and even healthy fats thanks to avocado. It’s a simple, yet incredibly flavorful dinner that you’ll find yourself going back to again and again. Tony loves it, I love it. EVERYONE LOVES IT. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- boneless skinless chicken thighs
- garlic
- onion
- jalapeno (or sub a poblano pepper)
- fresh cilantro
- lime
- chicken broth
- cumin
- white basmati rice
- carrots
- red bell pepper
- salt and pepper
To finish this dish off, I highly recommend serving with avocado slices and greek yogurt to cool down the somewhat spicy flavors — YUM.
Tips for making this peruvian chicken recipe:
- If you don’t like spicy dishes, then feel free to take out the seeds of the jalapeno. If you prefer things a little bit spicy, then I suggest keeping them in!
- Make sure you use a white basmati or jasmine rice. Unfortunately, brown rice will take too long to cook.
- Feel free to make a lower carb version by subbing in cauliflower rice.
- Feel free to switch up the veggies based on what you have in your fridge.
More healthy one pan meals to try:
One Pan Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce
One Pan Caribbean Jerk Chicken with Pineapple-Coconut Rice
One Pan Thai Coconut Yellow Curry Chicken & Rice
Sheet Pan Zucchini Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Curry Sauce
See how to make Peruvian green chicken and rice:
If you make this green chicken and rice, be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe below! You can also snap and picture and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen. xo!
Peruvian Green Chicken and Rice (Green Arroz Con Pollo)
Author: Monique of AmbitiousKitchen.com
Nutrition Information
- Serving size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 474
- Fat: 17.6g
- Saturated fat: 5.0g
- Carbohydrates: 45.3g
- Sugar: 2.4g
- Fiber: 1.7g
- Protein: 36.7g
Recipe type: Dinner, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, One Pan
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
- For the chicken:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the green sauce:
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ white or yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded (or leave seeds in if you like it a little spicy like me!)
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro (reserve a few for topping the dish)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the rice:
- 1 cup white basmati rice
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- To garnish:
- Fresh cilantro
- Avocado slices
- Jalapeno slices
- Greek yogurt or sour cream + water to make a creme for drizzling
- First make the green sauce: In a large high powered blender or food processor, add in garlic, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, fresh lime juice, chicken broth, cumin, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend or process until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Place a large deep 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. (If you do not have a skillet, then a large pot will also work very well!) Add in olive oil. Once hot, add in chicken thighs and season generously with freshly ground salt and pepper. Cook until browned 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and transfer to a plate.
- In the same skillet (it should be greased enough already for sauteing), carrots and bell peppers. Saute over medium heat for a few minutes minutes to absorb pan flavors.
- Slowly pour in the green sauce, bring to a simmer then fold in the rice, making sure it is evenly distributed in the pan. Add the browned chicken on top and nestle them into the sauce a bit. Once sauce is simmering, reduce heat to low, cover the skillet immediately and cook for 20-25 minutes.
- After 20-25 minutes, most of the liquid should be absorbed and the rice should be cooked. Serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro, jalapeno slices, avocado slices and a drizzle of sour cream if you’d like. I like to mix a little greek yogurt or sour cream with water and drizzle it over the skillet. Serves 4. Enjoy!
If you don’t like spicy dishes, then feel free to take out the seeds of the jalapeno. If you prefer things a little bit spicy, then I suggest keeping them in!
Make sure you use a white basmati or jasmine rice. Unfortunately, brown rice will take too long to cook.
Feel free to make a lower carb version by subbing in cauliflower rice.
Feel free to switch up the veggies based on what you have in your fridge.
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