Chicken and Yellow Rice: My Spanish Grandma Recipe

Truth be told, I didn't grow up in a household with great cooks. I didn't learn from my mom or grandma how to be a chef—or even a good cook—though they did teach me how to be creative and artistic from an early age. That makes up for it, right?

While both my mom and grandma always had home-cooked meals ready for me, they didn't have an impressive repertoire of recipes or experiment with new dishes often. They knew their star players. They stuck to three or four main dishes I loved, made classic Cuban homemade desserts like flan and key lime pie, and yogurt from scratch for breakfast and snacks. 

One of those beloved main dishes was Spanish chicken and yellow rice—a recipe I still love today and my American friends always ask me to share.

With Easter just around the corner (I still can't believe we're already at the end of March!), I plan to make my grandma's chicken and yellow rice for lunch this year.

This is the perfect dish when celebrating with family and friends, and it would be great for potluck, too!

How to make chicken and yellow rice or arroz con pollo

There are two ways to prepare this dish. I'll share both of them with you, starting with the traditional method and moving on to the modern option, which uses a rice cooker or slow cooker.

We serve it with our favorite spring salad: the mandarin, strawberry, and spinach salad, a bottle of our favorite natural wine, and, to finish, a slice of Cuban key lime pie.

Note: My grandma made everything from scratch, including the chicken broth. I'm sharing her original recipe, but we’ve also used store-bought alternatives in the past to save time.

Chicken and Yellow Rice Ingredients

• 24 ounces chicken 

• 12-ounce chorizo

• 2 yellow onion

• 2 tablespoon scallions

• 1 red bell pepper

• 1 poblano or green bell pepper

• 1 cubanelle pepper(optional)

• 3 ají cachucha/ a sweet chili pepper(optional)

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon dried coriander

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1 bunch of fresh parsley

• 2 bay leaf

• 1/8 teaspoon cumin

• 2 teaspoons paprika

• 1 ½ cups long-grain rice

• Olive oil

• 3 ½ cups chicken broth

• 6 carrots

• one bag of frozen peas

• 2-3 blended tomatoes or 1 small can of diced tomatoes

• 2  teaspoons tomato paste

• 1 ½  teaspoons turmeric

• ¼ teaspoon saffron threats

• 3 rosemary sprigs

• Salt and black pepper to taste

• 1 tablespoon dry cooking wine or a light beer

Preparing the chicken

First, let's prepare the chicken! My grandma always deboned it herself, using the chicken legs and thighs with skin on the rice and the bones on the broth. She cut the thighs in half. We don't want just two huge chicken pieces in the rice. Instead, smaller portions spread throughout the dish is best! 

Alternatively, you can use chicken breasts. My boyfriend doesn't eat dark chicken meat, so we've made this recipe many times with chicken breasts, and I can report back it doesn't take away from the original flavor.

Set the chicken meat aside and use the bones to make the broth.

Making the broth

In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the chicken bones, 4 sliced carrots, half a bunch of parsley, 1 yellow onion, and salt to taste. 

My grandma never used celery in her recipes, she didn't like the taste, but if you enjoy it, feel free to add some here.

Bring the broth to a boil and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes.

Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 45 minutes over low heat.

Alternatively, you can use a store-bought chicken broth.

Browning the chicken

Heat a deep cast-iron pan on the stove.

Add a good amount of extra virgin olive oil, as this will be your base for the entire dish.

Add the chicken meat with a bit more olive oil and salt. Cook the chicken in the pan for 5-7 minutes browning the chicken on all sides.

Preparing the Sofrito

While the chicken is cooking, take a skillet and heat some olive oil and salt for about 2 minutes.

Add one finely chopped white onion and scallions to taste. Cook over high heat for 2–3 minutes or until the onion is softened.

Push the onions and scallions to one side of the skillet and add one chopped red bell pepper, one chopped green pepper, and ají cachucha. Cook for another 2 minutes.

In Cuba, my grandma always used ají cachucha (a sweet chili pepper) in her sofritos. Since moving to the U.S., my mom has slightly modified the ingredients of the sofrito—swapping the green bell pepper for poblano, adding cubanelle, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and, at times, replacing the ají cachucha with a mild chili pepper.

Move the peppers you choose to use to the side and add three finely chopped garlic cloves. Once the garlic starts turning golden, mix everything.

Add two bay leaves and a pinch of salt, and mix well.

Sprinkle in dried parsley, oregano, coriander, a pinch of cummin and black pepper. Stir everything together to let the flavors meld.

Once your sofrito is fragrant, transfer it to the pan with the chicken.

Add the pre-cut chorizo and cook it with the chicken and the sofrito until slightly darkened for about 1 minute. Stir everything a couple of times before adding the rest of the veggies.

Adding the vegetables

At this point, your vegetables should be prepped—cleaned, cut, and defrosted.

The main ones I always use are carrots and peas, but feel free to add black and green olives, corn, green beans, Madagascar beans, or even spinach if you want to increase the amount of veggies in your recipe.

Let everything cook over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally to blend the flavors.

Cooking the chicken and rice

Lower the heat and add the pre-washed rice. Next, add and stir in the blended tomatoes, smoked paprika (pimentón), and turmeric (optional—this is part of my mom's updated version of the recipe).

Cook everything over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, then reduce the heat.

Pour the chicken broth and mix in the tomato paste. Stir well and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat, add the crushed saffron, and stir again.

Add 1 tablespoon of cooking wine (or light beer, which many Cubans prefer to use as an alternative).

Bring the mixture back to a boil.

From this point on, do not stir or touch the mixture.

Let the rice boil for about 5 minutes (cooking times vary depending on the stove).

Cover the pan and let the rice cook over medium heat for 1-2 more minutes, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

My grandma always used a glass lid to check on the rice without lifting the cover.

Once the rice is fully cooked, turn off the stove and let it sit, covered, for another 5 to 10 minutes. After that, remove the lid, stir everything together to blend the flavors, and garnish with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary or fresh parsley.

How to make Spanish Chicken and Rice in a Rice Cooker or Slow Cooker?

My mom's quicker, more convenient take on this recipe cooks the chicken and veggies the same way my grandma did, but instead of chicken thighs and legs with skin, she uses boneless and skinless chicken thighs and legs. For the rice, she uses a rice cooker, instead of cooking it on the stovetop. If you're using this method, follow these steps:

In a slow cooker or rice cooker, add 1 cup of pre-washed long grain white rice, pour in 3 cups of grandma's broth, and 1 tablespoon of dry cooking wine (or light beer).

Add the cooked chicken and vegetables, along with salt and pepper to taste. 

Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, turmeric (optional) and saffron. Mix everything together.

Press Start and let the cooker do its thing.

Once done, let it sit for 5 minutes before opening the lid.

Stir well, garnish, and serve!

Chicken and Rice Recipe Tips

Cooking times may vary based on your stove type (gas or electric) and cookware (cast iron vs. non-cast iron pots).

We recommend using long-grain rice, which has less starch, absorbs less water, and is less sticky. 

Cooking the rice can take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. If this is your first time cooking rice, check your dish right after the 30-minute mark and adjust if needed.  To check when it's ready, gently fluff the rice with a fork.

If you've cooked rice before, the same principles for making long-grain white rice apply here.

If you don't want to use fresh garlic, onions, peppers, or herbs, a well-balanced dry rub works wonders for the chicken. Add a little extra while sautéing the rice. I've done this plenty of times using a mix of onion and garlic powder, ancho chili pepper, a pinch of cayenne, dried herbs, and a good all-purpose seasoning or my cuban seasoning.

A third way to cook this dish is in the oven. Follow the same steps as my grandma's stovetop method, but once you place the lid on, transfer your chicken and rice pot to a preheated oven at 375°F for 25 minutes.  

Remove the lid, sprinkle some grated white cheese on top (optional) and bake for another 10 minutes before taking it out completely.

Leftovers of this chicken and yellow rice recipe can be refrigerated and used for meal prep up to 4 days after cooking. Store the food in an airtight glass container to maintain freshness.

Hope you enjoy my grandma's chicken and rice recipe as much as we do!

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