Vegan Arroz con Pollo (Vegan Rice with Chicken)

#VeganizedPuertoRican Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken) is the one-pot vegan dinner you’ve been looking for. Made with all of the traditional ingredients, but without the chicken. 

Vegan | Gluten-free | Soy-free

Finally! For this month’s #VeganizedPuertoRican we have one of the most notorious Puerto Rican dishes: Arroz con Pollo. This has also been one of the most requested! Arroz con Pollo or Rice with Chicken is a typical dish of Latin American gastronomy, with regional variations depending on the country, which consists of rice combined with chicken and other spices. In Puerto Rico, we prepare it with sofrito, and in VeggieJeva we’re leaving the chicken in peace and using jackfruit instead. 

This simple, yet delicious, traditional dish is a favorite in all of our households. It’s popular because besides being easy to prepare, there’s no also need to use out-of-budget ingredients. If you’re Puerto Rican and vegan, you might already have all the ingredients at home. 

Below I’m going to explain to you how to prepare this delicious dish.

Veganizing Arroz Con Pollo

This vegan arroz con pollo recipe is easier to prepare than you think. It is a hearty and very nutritious meal that everyone can enjoy!

To veganize this recipe the only thing we’re swapping is the chicken for jackfruit. Feel free to use any other vegan substitute you find suitable, but I find that jackfruit works best as well as it keeps it plant-based. Other than that, the ingredients remain the same. Of course, this recipe varies from household to household, so if veganizing your own family’s recipe, check that all the ingredients are vegan-friendly. 

Serve with your favorite sides and toppings! I chose habichuelas guisadas (stewed beans), avocado, and spaghetti squash. You can also add tostones, amarillos (fried sweet plantains), salad, and even sauteed potatoes.

Notes: 

• Alternate to water, you could use veggie stock, but be mindful it’s sodium content.
• You can skip the beer, just substitute it with equal amount of water or stock.
• If you don’t hace achiote oil or powder, you can substitute it with tomato sauce.
• This recipe calls for garlic in 3 different forms (minced cloves, puree and powder) but feel free tone it down by removing the pure form.
• For the sofrito, you can use my homemade sofrito recipe!
• As a topping, you can make my habichuelas guisadas recipe

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Vegan Arroz con Pollo (Vegan Rice with Chicken)

Rating: 3.8/5

( 4 voted )

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes 40 minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tbsp sofrito
• Optional: 1 tbsp garlic puree
• 13oz can jackfruit, rinsed and deseeded
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp cumin
• ¾  tsp paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp coriander
• 4 culantro (recao) leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp achiote (annato) oil or 1 tbsp achiote powder
• Optional: ½ cup of a pale lager or lager
• 1 ½  cup medium-grain rice, rinsed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ½ water (or 2 cups if not using beer)

Procedure

• For this recipe, you’ll be using a medium-size caldero, dutch oven, or any other non-stick pot. To it add olive oil, yellow onion, minced garlic, and bell pepper, and sautee in medium heat until onions become soft.
• Then add sofrito and garlic puree. Mix until well combined.
• After rinsing and deseeding the jackfruit, cut it into smaller pieces if desired. Add to pot, and mix until combined.
• Season jackfruit with cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, coriander, and the desired amount of salt and pepper. Mix and saute for about 5 minutes.
• Proceed to add the chopped recao leaves and the achiote oil to the mixture. Mix until well combined.
• Then add the beer, mix, and bring to a boil to start cooking out the alcohol for about 5-8 minutes. (If not using beer, skip this step and go straight into adding the rice.)
• Once the liquid has reduced, proceed to add rice and mix until evenly coated.
• Add the cups of water and bay leaves. Stir making sure it’s evenly distributed and that everything is covered by the water. Taste mixture and adjust seasoning if desired.
• Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Stir the rice bringing the bottom rice to the top. Then cover the pot with a lid and cook for 20-25 minutes.
• Creating a tight seal: This method is commonly used here to ensure an even cook throughout the rice. You can either do this with a large plantain or banana leaf or with a large piece of foil. Either way works by laying it over the rice and securing it with tha lid to help create a tight seal.
• After 20-25 minutes, most of the liquid should be absorbed and rice should be cooked. Serve with habichuelas guisadas (stewed beans), avocado, tostones, or whichever other toppings you like. ENJOY!

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