Slow Cooker Arroz Con Pollo

4.15 stars average

Easy to make and great for using up ingredients you likely already have on hand such as tomato sauce, rice, chicken and frozen peas.

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 15 minutes

Arroz con pollo slow cooker

Perfect for busy weeknights, transport your taste buds around the world with this easy, healthy, and delicious Slow Cooker Arroz Con Pollo.

Liz garnishing slow cooker arroz con pollo.

Slow cooker or Instant Pot dinners are my jam all year round, but I especially love using my slow cooker in the warmer months when it’s too hot to turn on the oven or stand by a hot stove for an hour. I love making this Slow Cooker Arroz Con Pollo as it covers all the basics for a meal at once. Balanced, filling, and delicious, this dish is easy to throw together early in the day and then leave it for later!

Ingredients

  • Chicken breasts: I like to use split chicken breasts for this dish, as the bone and skin just add more flavor, but you could use boneless breasts or thighs as well.
  • Kosher salt: The larger crystals of the kosher salt help to stick to the chicken and enhance its natural flavor.
  • Onion: A white onion adds mild onion flavor that most people, even kids, will enjoy.
  • Red pepper: Diced red pepper add a bit of sweetness, but you could use a green or yellow bell pepper as well.
  • Rice: I used a short-grain white rice, but you could adapt this dish to use whatever rice you have.
  • Tomato sauce: Slightly acidic and sweet, it adds to the sauce for the chicken and rice.
  • Chicken broth: Makes the rice and dish more flavorful, as it’s the liquid the rice absorbs as it cooks.
  • Lime juice: Adds a bright, acidic flavor that pairs well with the spices.
  • Spices: Oregano, garlic powder, cumin, turmeric, and pepper all help to add a rich depth of traditional flavor to the dish.
  • Bay leaf: While you don’t eat the bay leaf, it adds another layer of depth to the flavors of the dish.
  • Peas: Doesn’t add much in flavor, but helps to make this dish balanced nutritionally.
  • Green olives: Added after the dish has been cooked, they add a bright, tart flavor.
  • Cilantro: Fresh cilantro added when you serve helps to brighten up the dish.

How to make Slow Cooker Arroz con Pollo

Seasoning chicken breast

Start your slow cooker arroz con pollo by seasoning your chicken breasts with kosher salt and pepper.

Browning chicken in pan

Then brown your chicken on both sides on the stove. This step isn’t required, but does add extra flavor.

Adding chicken to slow cooker

Once your chicken is seared, place them inside your slow cooker.

Adding onion to slow cooker 1

Then add the diced onion and red bell pepper.

Adding canned tomato sauce to slow cooker

Then add the tomato sauce over the top.

Adding rice to slow cooker

Next add your rinsed uncooked rice.

Adding chicken stock to slow cooker

And the chicken stock.

Adding lime juice to arroz con pollo

Then add the fresh lime juice.

Adding garlic powder

Next you’ll sprinkle in the spices. Add the dried oregano, garlic powder, and cumin.

Adding seasoning to arroz con pollo

Then add the turmeric, and if you have it, you could also add saffron and cayenne as well for a bit more of a kick.

Adding bay leaf to slow cooker

Then add the bay leaf before giving everything a good stir. Place the lid on the slow cooker and then cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4.

Finished arroz con pollo

Once finished cooking, stir in the peas until warmed through.

Adding olives to arroz con pollo

Remove the chicken and then add the green olives.

Cutting chicken into pieces

Then you can either cut your chicken into chunks or shred it and discard the bones.

Arroz con pollo slow cooker

Return the chicken to the rice and serve garnished with the fresh cilantro and a bit of fresh lime juice as you desire. Enjoy your slow cooker arroz con pollo!

Frequently Asked Questions:

What does arroz con pollo mean?

Arroz con pollo is just chicken with rice in Spanish.

What kind of rice do you use for arroz con pollo?

Typically a long or short grained white rice is used to make this dish.

Why is my arroz con pollo mushy?

If it turns out mushy, then it might be overcooked or you added too much liquid.

Slow cooker arroz con pollo.

More Slow Cooker Meals

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Liz eating slow cooker arroz con pollo.

Delicious the day you make it or the next day as leftovers, you and the whole family will enjoy my Slow Cooker Arroz Con Pollo.

Your fork is waiting

Arroz con pollo slow cooker

Slow Cooker Arroz Con Pollo

4.15 stars average
Easy to make and great for using up ingredients you likely already have on hand such as tomato sauce, rice, chicken and frozen peas.
PREP: 15 minutes
COOK: 3 hours
TOTAL: 3 hours 15 minutes
Pin
Servings: 4

Ingredients
 

  • 2 split chicken breasts ((bone-in skin-on))
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 medium onion (diced)
  • 1 cup diced red pepper
  • 1 cup long grain rice (uncooked)
  • 15 ounce can tomato sauce (low sodium)
  • 2 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice (or lemon)
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 saffron crushed threads (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
  • 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
  • 2 tablespoons sliced green olives (garnish)
  • fresh parsley or cilantro (garnish)

Instructions
 

  • If your slow cooker has a stove-top safe insert, place it over medium high heat and add oil to the insert. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and sear on both sides until golden brown, 3-4 minutes a side. (Note: You can also do this in a stock pot.)
  • Turn off heat and add the next 13 ingredients to the slow cooker (onion through cayenne). Stir well and heat on High for 3-4 hours or Low for 5-6 hours.
  • Fluff rice with a fork and stir in peas 10 minutes before serving.
  • Garnish with green olives and fresh parsley to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 393kcalCarbohydrates: 38.7gProtein: 29.2gFat: 14.4gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11.4gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 840mgFiber: 6.8gSugar: 9.8g

41 thoughts on “Slow Cooker Arroz Con Pollo”

  1. I was excited to try this in my slow cooker and when I saw the option to sear on a stove top with the slow cooker pan I saw that as a no brainer—less dishes! Unfortunately I indeed was left with less dishes because my slow cooker dish cracked on my stovetop and I was left with raw chicken and a broken slow cooker in the end. I’m sure the recipe is amazing but just a thought to add a warning (especially for beginners who are wanting to learn to cook!) that those dishes are not all designed for a stove top.

    1. Oh I’m so sorry that happened to you!! That’s why I mention and link in the recipe to the stove-top safe crockpot so that people can double check if theirs is the same.

    1. You can totally swap for frozen chicken! I’d add about an hour to the time but you shouldn’t have to adjust the liquid.

  2. I loved it. I skipped the peas because of the kids. I did a sofrito for flavor with the needed ingredients before stirring it all together. We’re Cuban so we love arroz con pollo. Nice easy and fast.

  3. I loved the flavor of this dish, but the rice itself got too gummy after 5 hours in the slow cooker. I think if I made this again, I would cook the recipe separately and add it at the end, with the peas.

  4. I asked my husband to pick me up chicken thighs. I meant boneless and skinless, but he came back with thighs on the bone and with skins. I thought to myself, what lends itself to that type of meat? (obviously I can de-bone them and peel the skin myself, but nah) It came to me: Arroz con pollo! Y So i googled it up. Your recipe says breasts, but I don’t care. Of the five recipes I looked at, I like yours the best. So, it’s in slow cooker now. It will be awhile and my rice is in there too. Bbut the thing is, I like mushy rice just fine, so I don’t care if it comes out that way.

    I didn’t have tomato sauce on hand, so I used a can of diced tomatoes. I’m thinking of adding capers at the end because I have them and they just sit in the fridge useless. Plus I don’t like peas. Do you think that’s a bad idea? I’ll check back later for your answer. I still have hours on this dish.

    Sooooo, I’m really happy to find this recipe and thank you. I can tell already it’s going to turn out great!
    Looks great and smells great right now.

  5. Shannon Christopher

    This recipe was delicious, it will be a regular for our house. Loved the olives and I put cilantro instead of parsely for garni on the plates when I servced it. My rice was pretty mushy, but I blame my crockpot because it really overcooks things. Next time will probably put rice in later. Thanks for the great tastes in this recipe!

    1. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! I have found the rice cooking time does vary a bit based on strength of slow cooker so good idea to try and add it later. Glad the flavor was good!

  6. This was absolutely wonderful! My boyfriend is a professional chef and he raved about this dish…said the flavors were perfectly balanced… and asked for seconds!

      1. I make this all the time now and it is always amazing! Due to my Chef’s unpredictable schedule, I have begun cooking the rice separately, using the wonderful broth from the crockpot in place of water. That way the rice is never overcooked, and the flavors meld beautifully. Thank you again for a lovely, lovely recipe!

  7. Well, the chicken tasted delicious, but the rice was really overcooked and soggy. Perhaps adding the rice one hour in to the cooking time may help…?

    1. Oh no! I’m so sorry your rice was overcooked. Did you make any adjustments to the other instructions or liquid amounts? Sometimes even just a little too much liquid can make a big difference. Either way I hope it was still flavorful for you – sorry again!

  8. Dear Liz, this looks so good! I don’t know why I don’t think to use my slow cooker more often in the summer…I’m just a toss-a-salad-together kind of gal when it gets too hot. I have to save this and try it soon. Love all the flavors. xo, Catherine

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