Vegan arroz con pollo is my plant-based take on the Cuban chicken-and-rice dish I grew up around. It has golden, deeply seasoned rice, vegan chicken, a sofrito base, red pimientos, and sweet peas, all cooked in one pot.
My mom made arroz con pollo at least once every couple of weeks when I was growing up. It was one of those regular meals that was easy, comforting, and all made in one pot, so I completely understand now why it was a staple in our house.
Of course, I had my own way of eating it. Just like I did with another delicious rice dish, paella, I had a very specific strategy: pick around the chicken and go straight for the good stuff. The tender, flavorful rice and those little pops of sweet peas were all I needed. Looking back, maybe I wasn't being picky - I was just a very discerning rice enthusiast.
Once I went vegan, I missed that familiar combination. I eventually created my own vegan paella, but I also wanted a vegan version of the arroz con pollo I grew up eating. It's still a one-pot meal, just the way I remember it, and now I don't have to pick around anything.
If cozy Latin rice dishes are your thing, try my Cuban-Inspired Vegan Fricase and Puerto Rican Yellow Rice and Beans.
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Why I Love This Recipe
- It has all the cozy flavor of arroz con pollo without the chicken.
- Everything comes together in one pot, so cleanup stays manageable.
- The golden rice, red pimientos, green pepper, and peas make it as colorful as it is comforting.
- It is flexible enough for different vegan chicken products, soy curls, wine, or beer.
Ingredients
- Vegan chicken: I like to use the shredded plant chicken from Daring. You can find this nowadays in many well-stocked grocery stores. The browned edges add texture before the pieces finish in the rice. Substitute with extra-firm tofu, soy curls, white beans, jackfruit (like in my Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup), or tempeh.
- Long-grain white rice: Rinse well and drain before adding to the pot. Long-grain rice cooks up fluffy and keeps the dish from feeling heavy; however, you can substitute with Valencia rice, but the rice will be sticky.
- Onion, green bell pepper, and garlic: This creates the sofrito-style base that builds the flavor in so many Cuban dishes, including Vegan Cuban Picadillo and Easy Cuban Canned Black Beans.
- Vino seco: Cuban dry cooking wine adds depth. A dry white wine or vegan lager also works.
- Sazón or Bijol: Either gives the rice its warm golden color. You can also make my homemade Bijol seasoning.
- Broth: I like to use Better Than Boullion vegetable paste or vegan chicken-style paste to season the rice as it cooks.
See the printable recipe card for quantities and a full list of ingredients.
Variations
- Puerto Rican-inspired: Fold in ½ cup sliced or whole pimento-stuffed green olives when you add the peas. Their briny flavor is especially good with the seasoned rice.
- Make it without wine: Replace the ¾ cup vino seco with the same amount of additional broth.
- Use soy curls: Rehydrate 2 cups of dry soy curls according to the package directions, squeeze out the excess liquid, season, and brown well before adding to the rice.
- Add heat: Sauté a diced jalapeño with the bell pepper or add a pinch of crushed red pepper with the seasonings.
How To Make Vegan Arroz con Pollo
See the complete printable recipe card below for the details.
Step 1: Brown the vegan chicken. Cook the vegan chicken in olive oil until lightly browned, then transfer it to a plate.
Step 2: Build the sofrito. Add more oil to the same pot. Add the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add wine and scrape. When you pour in the white cooking wine, scrape up any bits, and let it bubble for 3 minutes to cook off the sharp edge.
Step 4: Season it. Add the tomato sauce, pimientos, sazón, cumin, oregano, salt, if using, black pepper, and the bay leaf. Stir and let everything simmer together for 3-4 minutes.
Step 5: Add the bouillon & liquid. Add the bouillon cubes and pour in the water. Stir until dissolved and bring it up to a boil.
Step 6: Rice. Add the rice and stir once to spread it out evenly. Bring back to a boil, then drop the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Resist the urge to peek or stir.
Step 7: Chicken back in. Uncover, add the reserved vegan chicken, and fold it gently through the rice. Cook for 3-5 minutes, covered.
Step 8: Peas and rest. Scatter the peas over the top, cover, and cook 5 more minutes until they're hot and the rice is tender. Fish out the bay leaf, fluff, and let it sit off the heat for 5-10 minutes before serving. Squeeze lime over the top.
Top Tips
- Rinse the rice until the water is mostly clear, then drain it well. This removes excess surface starch and helps the grains stay separate.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid so the rice cooks evenly and the steam stays trapped.
- Once the pot is covered, keep the heat low and resist lifting the lid. Escaping steam can leave the rice unevenly cooked.
- Let the finished arroz con pollo rest before fluffing. Those few minutes help the rice finish steaming and settle.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve it with sweet plantains for a classic sweet-and-savory combination. You can make them homemade or buy them frozen from Walmart (found in the freezer).
- Add a side of easy Cuban black beans when you want an even heartier plate.
- Keep it simple with sliced avocado, lime wedges, and a crisp tomato-and-cucumber salad.
- Drizzle a little Cuban mojo criollo over the vegan chicken for an extra garlicky citrus kick.
Vegan Arroz con Pollo FAQs
Long-grain white rice works best for this recipe because the grains stay more separate than short- or medium-grain rice. Rinse it well and drain it before adding it to the pot.
Yes. Replace the ¾ cup of vino seco with ¾ cup of additional vegetable or vegan chicken-style broth.
Choose a sturdy plant-based chicken that can be browned and folded into the rice without falling apart. Soy curls also work well when they are rehydrated, squeezed dry, seasoned, and browned first, but you can also use white beans, jackfruit, extra-firm tofu, or tempeh.
No. Green bell pepper and red pimientos are mild. For heat, add a diced jalapeño with the bell pepper or a pinch of crushed red pepper with the seasonings.
Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat with a small splash of broth or water so the rice does not dry out.
Don't leave me hanging - drop a comment and tell me how this vegan arroz con pollo turned out! Was it love at first bite? Surprisingly edible? Or a full-on yuck. And if my directions helped (or didn't), please let me know so I can keep improving these recipes for you.
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Recipe Card
Vegan Arroz con Pollo
Equipment
- large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
Vegan chicken
- 16 ounces vegan chicken shreds or pieces such as Daring Plant Chicken -I use the shreds
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste or use adobo seasoning
For the rice
- ⅓ cup olive oil this adds to the texture so adding less will alter the final dish
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper or red pepper, diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- ¾ cup white cooking wine or lager or ale
- 4 ounces red pimientos diced or chopped
- 1 packet sazón with azafrán* see notes for options
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼-½ teaspoon salt*
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cubes vegan chicken bouillon cubes or vegan chicken-style base paste
- 3 ⅓ cups water
- 2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice rinsed and drained
- ½-1 cup frozen peas
- lime for garnish
Instructions
- Brown the vegan chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the vegan chicken pieces, salt, and pepper (or adobo seasoning), and cook until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the vegan chicken to a plate.
- Make the sofrito: Add the ⅓ cup of olive oil to the same pot. Add the onion, green bell pepper, and garlic, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until softened. Stir often to prevent burning.
- Add the cooking wine: Pour in the white cooking wine, scraping up any flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Finish the sauce: Add the tomato sauce, chopped pimientos, sazón packet, oregano, cumin, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf. Stir everything together and cook for 3-4 minutes, letting the flavors meld.
- Add the broth and rice: Add the 2 bouillon cubes (or 2 teaspoons of paste) and water, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the rinsed, drained rice and stir gently to distribute it evenly and prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Cook the rice: Reduce the heat to LOW, cover the pot, and cook for about 20 minutes. Keep the lid on while the rice cooks so the steam stays trapped inside.
- Add the vegan chicken: Gently fold in the browned vegan chicken. Cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the vegan chicken is heated through, it has absorbed some of the rice's flavors, and the remaining liquid has been absorbed.
- Add the peas and rest: Turn off the heat and scatter the frozen peas over the rice. Cover the pot and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. The residual heat will warm the peas and allow the rice to finish cooking.
- Fluff and serve: Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.
- Add an optional citrus finish: Squeeze lime over the finished dish or individual servings.
Regi Pearce says
Made this again last weekend for my family, and there was none left, which is the only review that's ever mattered in my house.