Arroz Con Pollo (Cheesy Chicken and Rice)
Whenever we go out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant, my kids ALWAYS order this Arroz Con Pollo (Cheesy Chicken and Rice)! It is called by many different names. I now know that it is also referred to as Alan Special, Stephen Special, Pollo Bandido, or even Chicken on the Beach. And more, thanks to social media! No matter what it is called, the premise is the same. It consists of Mexican Rice, grilled chicken and a cheese sauce. It comes served with warm tortillas to stuff it inside and it is a very popular and delicious dish! And my kids loved my at-home version so I hope you will to!
And while you are here check out some of our other favorite Mexican inspired dishes!
Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
How do you make it?
There are 3 steps to making this. It may seem like a lot, but I always say that if you prepare and get everything out and ready, preparation is a lot easier. And the steps are not difficult or time consuming! I will break each one down.
For the Rice:
You will start by toasting 2 cups of long grain white rice (I used basmati) in 2 tbs of oil (I used avocado) over medium high heat. This will only take 3-4 minutes and you want to stir it continuously. Then you will add in a diced onion and some minced garlic and toast it for another minute or two.
Now you will add in 16 oz of tomato sauce and give it a good stir. Then add in 1 packet of sazon and a heaping tbs of chicken flavored bouillon and 4 cups of water. Bring it to a boil. Put the lid on, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. DO NOT STIR!!!!
Then you will take it off the heat, and let it sit for another 15 minutes. Again, DO NOT STIR! After 15 minutes, GENTLY stir it and you should have perfectly cooked rice!
For the Chicken:
Take 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut them into very thin slices. Melt 2 tbs of butter and 2 tbs of avocado oil in a skillet over medium heat and place the chicken in. Season with the spices that will be listed on the recipe card below. Then you will stir continuously until they are fully cooked. And they will cook very quickly. About 4-5 minutes. But if in doubt, always use a meat thermometer to make sure it reaches 165 degrees!
For the Cheese Sauce:
Pour one can of evaporated milk into a sauce pan over medium heat. Then add 16 oz of queso blanco velveeta, a 7 oz can of diced chilies and 8 oz of grated pepper jack cheese. Stir continuously until all of the cheese is melted. Let it rest so it can thicken up.
Assemble some rice on the plate, then some chicken and then drizzle as much of that yummy cheese sauce on there as your heart desires! Warm up some flour (or corn if you prefer) tortillas and scoop some inside and enjoy!
I like to add some fresh jalapenos and hot salsa to mine as well! Refried beans are also a great addition. I hope you enjoy this Arroz Con Pollo (Cheesy Chicken and Rice)!
If you do make this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating! I love hearing from you and it helps so much! Thank you!
Arroz Con Pollo (Cheesy Chicken and Rice)
Ingredients
Rice
- 2 Cups Long Grain White Rice I used Basmati Rice
- 2 tbs Cooking Oil I used Avocado Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, Diced
- 4-5 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 packet Sazon Seasoning
- 1 tbs Chicken Flavored Bouillon
- 16 oz Tomato Sauce
- 4 Cups Water
Chicken
- 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or thighs if you prefer
- 2 tbs Butter
- 2 tbs Cooking Oil I used Avocado
- 1 tbs Garlic Powder
- 1 tbs Onion Powder
- 1 tbs Chili Powder
- 1 tbs Cumin
- 1 packet Sazon Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp each Salt and Pepper
Cheese Sauce
- 12 oz Can of Evaporated Milk
- 16 oz Queso Blanco Velveeta
- 7 oz Can of Diced Chilis
- 8 oz Grated Pepper Jack Cheese
Instructions
For the Rice
- In a skillet over medium/high heat, toast the rice in the oil, stirring continuously for 3-4 minutes. Add in the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Stir in the Sazon, the bouillon, the tomato sauce and the water. Bring to a boil. Put the lid on. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes. DO NOT STIR! (make sure it is on a very low heat setting so it doesn't burn).
- Take it off the heat, and let it sit for another 15 minutes and again DO NOT STIR. After 15 minutes, gently stir it and it should be perfectly cooked!
Chicken
- Slice the chicken into very thin strips.
- Heat the butter and oil in a skillet over medium/high heat. Add the chicken in, then add the spices listed above. Cook and stir constantly until thoroughly cooked, which should only take about 4-5 minutes.
Cheese Sauce
- In a sauce pan add all of the ingredients listed and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until all of the cheese is melted. Allow it to sit for a few minutes to thicken up.
- Assemble the rice on the plate, followed by some chicken, and then drizzle as much cheese sauce on top as you want. If desired, warm up tortillas to stuff the mixture into and enjoy!
I followed the recipe as written and OMGosh is this a keeper. The family loved it and will be in our meal rotation from now on. This recipes feeds at least 8 people. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you Cindi! I am so glad you and your family enjoyed it!
1 ¹/⁴ teaspoon I believe
After looking up “ACP” recipes, I learned about how this style of arroz con pollo, featuring queso blanco, shows up primarily on Mexican restaurant menus in the Southern US. It might be catored to regional American taste, but this version is what I was craving, and this recipe does it right! The rice was flavorful and turned out perfectly cooked. Chicken seasonings are great, and the cheese sauce easily brought this to comfort food territory. If you’re looking for how to make the restaurant ACP with the white cheese on it, this is it.
I decided to marinate the chicken in the seasonings and oil for about 3 hours, which I think helped brown the chicken and infuse the flavors.
Hi Adam! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe and thank you so much for such a thoughtful review!
Very good!
This is delicious! I made this tonight and my chicken is much more red than yours is, are you supposed to use the Sazon seasoning in both the rice and on the chicken? It lists it under both.
Hi Kristina! I did use the Sazon in both the chicken and rice. I wouldn’t worry about the color. Mine was Kinda red too but when filming it sometimes distorts the color! As long as it tasted good that is all that matters! I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your review!
WOW! This recipe turned out amazing! The flavors are spot on and the meal was really easy to prepare. Thank you so much!
Hi Kailey! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! I truly appreciate it! And I am so glad you thought it was easy to make and loved the flavors! It is definitely one of our favorites as well!
Excellent!! This was my first time making ACP at home and I’m so glad that this was the recipe I decided to try- it’s perfect! I followed as written, except leaving out onions and chilis due to picky eaters.
I took some time to make this on a Sunday afternoon and I’m excited to have plenty left for a couple of quick and easy weeknight leftover meals. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Hi Holly! This makes me so happy! I am so glad everyone enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful review!
This was the first time that I have made ACP at home! I followed the directions exactly. My family absolutely loved it! It was so delicious. My hubby is excited to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I will definitely make it again! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Tracy, that is so great to hear! I love that the whole family enjoyed it and the hubby has some great leftovers for lunch! Thanks for the great rating and review, it is much appreciated!
We made this tonight and loved it! We halved the recipe which made plenty for my family of four. We will definitely be adding this to our rotation!
So glad to hear it Chelsea! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a review! It is much appreciated!
Will definitely be making again! Next time I will probably try only half the amount of tomato sauce as it did come out a bit sweet!
I was curious how long the separated leftovers should last in the fridge? I have so many so was hopping to make them this weeks lunch!
Hi Destini,
I am sorry I couldn’t respond sooner, but I would have said the leftovers can last about 3-4 days in the fridge 🙂
My roommate and I thoroughly enjoyed this meal! It was simple enough to make and very flavorful. Makes great leftovers too. I will definitely be making this again for my family. Love this recipe!
That is so great to hear Abby! I always love big meals that are good for leftovers too! Thank you for the thoughtful review!
Easy & delicious!
We’ve tried 10 different ways to match the cheese dip at our favorite Mexican restaurant and this is by far the best. But we find it thickens up really quick as it cools. What are good ideas to thin it out a bit? Milk, evap milk, cream?
Hi! So glad you like the cheese sauce! and I am sorry it took me so long to reply, but the holidays have been hectic! And in answer to your question, yes just use a little milk to thin it out! 🙂
Huge hit! Just made it tonight! Will most definitely be making again.
So happy to hear that Tasha! Thank you for the nice review!
Where can I buy this sazon golla packet and the better than bouillon can?
Hi Natalie!
I apologize for the late reply but I have been sick this past week. I buy both of those products at Wal-Mart! 🙂
I would love to try and make this again but my rice isn’t cooked all the way!! What do I need to do next time? I followed the instructions…
Try leaving the lid on for the entire time. Also make sure you are using long grain white rice. I am not really sure why it wouldn’t be cooked all the way through, but I sure hope you have better luck next time!
Which Goya Sazon are you using in the recipe? Is it the Coriander and Annatto?
Yes that is the one 🙂
Why is .y chicken more red in color and yours isn’t?? I used all the same ingredients.
I am not sure…maybe the paprika? Hopefully it tasted good?
I can’t find Queso velveeta. Substitute?
Any American cheese will work, but also regular velveeta does too. It will be yellow, of course, but will still taste great!
I couldn’t find that specific cheese either, so I ended up using a 15 oz jar of Pace queso blanco that I found at Walmart. It was delicious!
This was great! It tasted just like the Mexican restaurant! I added a little more milk to the queso because I wanted it thinner, I had to use a 15oz can of tomato sauce in the rice instead of 16, and I only added one 4 oz can of chilis to the queso. Everything turned out great and I will definitely be making it again.
I’m not sure why but my chicken was way darker than the picture you show, it still tastes great, just a different color for some reason lol!
Can I use brown rice for this recipe
You can but I am not accustomed to cooking with brown rice so I don’t really know what the correct rice to broth ratio or the time would be! I do know it takes a bit more of both just not sure how much. Sorry I can’t answer more precisely!
If I want to double the rice from 2 cups to 4 cups, should I double everything else (e.g., 2 Yellow Onions instead of 1 Yellow Onion, 32 oz Tomato Sauce instead of 16 oz Tomato Sauce)?
I would not double the onions and garlic, just the liquid 🙂
I want to make this recipe so bad but can’t find the velveeta queso blanco anywhere. Do you think a jar of queso blanco would work?
Oh absolutely! They have a lot of good choices for store bought!
100% Delicious! It is just as good as a Mexican restaurant. I added green peppers on the side just to make it stretch for a big family. My Salvadoran mother in law even liked it and she can be hard to please sometimes. Definitely will make it again.
That is so wonderful! Thank you for such a nice review!
I want to give it a five but I don’t know what I did wrong with my rice. It’s still like soup. I did 15 minutes on low turned it off. Didn’t touch it another 15 minutes and it’s like soup so I am boiling again and letting it sit. I so want this to turn out! It looks ahmazing!!!!!
I am so sorry to hear that! I struggled with rice for years and honestly never knew what I was doing wrong either.
Can I make this ahead of time? Maybe two days before? I’m wondering how the rice keeps, I don’t want it sticky or mushy.
We had leftovers for about 3 days and they were fine! The only that is that the rice does get a little sticky but it isn’t bad.
How many does this particular recipe feed? Do I need to double everything if I want to feed more?
This recipe easily feeds 6-8 people! Depending on how many people you are making it for, you can double everything but you do not need to double the cheese sauce!
Hello,
I couldn’t find the packet of Sazon Seasoning but I did find a jar. About how much do I need?
This is a keeper!!! Made it tonight. So easy and delicious. The whole family loved it.
So happy to hear that Tammy!
Hello,
I couldn’t find the packet of Sazon Seasoning but I did find a jar. About how much do I need?
1 ¹/⁴ teaspoon I believe
Have made this twice, so simple and quick!! Need to cut the rice in half, makes a ton! It is delicious and the leftovers are amazing! We like to eat it with thin & crispy tortilla chips for some crunch!
Which Goya Sazon are you using in the recipe ACP ? Is it the Coriander and Annatto?
Thanks!
I will say first that the cheese sauce did not turn out at all. It split into sandy curds and whey. However, this was 100% my fault (I made some cheese substitutions)
The rice is very good and makes so much (maybe too much for the amount of chicken but nobody hates leftovers) but there is no salt in it. The chicken bouillon might help but I doubt it would be enough.
My main gripe is with the chicken. We only added 2/3 of the chili powder, cumin and garlic powder and none of the onion powder(and the sazon of course) and it was entirely too much powder. In addition, none of it was properly flavored because there was also no salt!!!
I am so sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you. I appreciate you letting me know.
So good!! My kids always order this when we go out and they loved this! Spot on. We’ll start making all the time!!!
Yay! That is awesome!
Carol’s comment is soooo funny ? “THIS DIDNT WORK!!! (even thoughI also didn’t follow the recipe at all) ?”
Carol, girl-do yourself a favor, and please reflect.
Salt is not only an ingredient in both the chicken recipe and the rice (and velveta contains salt for the cheese part), but purposefully not adding sazon (which contains SALT) would mean yours ain’t salty because you chose not to add salt! Hahaha, c’mon girl.
Your complaint about the cheese splitting and being gritty??? You changed the ingredients! That’s user error, you literally did not make this recipe- your 3 star dish is the substitute recipe YOU made.
On the other hand, myself being someone who just made this dish EXACTLY as written, I can confirm it’s DELICIOUS! Normally not a commenter, but this was a super tasty dish, and I needed to put my praise out there! This tastes exactly as the dish did at my hometown Mexican place, and really hit the spot for my craving. I no longer need to drive 6 hours to visit home to eat it, hahaha.
The rice was delicious, and I’m happy to know how to make it on my own for many dishes now, and the cheese sauce is literally so perfect- I could cry!! The chicken turned out awesome, and I really think everything (as written!! ?? take note, Carol) was well seasoned!!
I can tell I’m gonna be obsessed for a while!
Thanks so much- found through a Pinterest link for chicken recipes!!
Haha! Thank you so much! And I didn’t really know how to respond to her comment, but it is what it is lol!
My family loved it. My main positive comment is how the rice came out perfectly. I was so worried about waiting to check it, but it totally worked. Perfect rice.
FYI: Sazon & bouillon have a lot of salt, so extra salt isn’t needed if both of those are used.
We loved this recipe. Now it’s June and the family wants it again but it’s 95 degrees outside!! Any way to make this in the crockpot or instant pot?
I have never tested this recipe in the crockpot so I can’t honestly say! I am so sorry!
This was AMAZING!!! I’m in Texas and I grew up eating Tex-Mex and holy cow! This is so good. My son asked me if I could make it again when his friends come over. That’s a high compliment . I followed the recipe exactly. The rice is so good, the chicken cooks quickly, the queso recipe as a stand alone would be perfect for game night or a party- a great recipe. Just so good! I served this with charro beans, corn on the cob, and avocado slices sprinkled with lime. This is a keeper. Thank you!
Aww, thank you so much for this review! I am truly happy that everyone enjoyed it so much!
This is a great recipe. The cheese sauce is exactly as you would find in a great Mexican restaurant.
This was delicious I spent so much money on different arroz con pollo recipes looking for a good one and I found yours. thank you. ?
This recipe is super tasty! I am TERRIBLE at preparing rice, but used the ingredients and cooked it in the instant pot (pressure cook for 4 minutes, 10 min natural release) and it was great! The chicken was super flavorful and that cheese, oh man! The only thing I would caution with: I had 3 large chicken breasts which were just over 2 lbs and there was SOOO much seasoning in the pan with it. I would have halved the seasonings and saved the other half for another night.
This is seriously the best recipe I’ve ever made lol. I was craving this dish from the Mexican restaurant and wanted to make it myself and thankfully found this recipe!!!
The only difference I made was adding frozen bell pepper and onion blend with the chicken and I used store bought queso instead of making it to save time!! THANK YOU!! ❤️
This Arroz Con Pollo recipe sounds delicious and perfect for family meals! I love how you’ve broken down the steps to make it approachable. It’s great to see a dish that kids enjoy so much. I can’t wait to try your version at home—cheesy goodness is always a win!
Too much spice on the chicken. My rice didn’t turn out like I hoped but mine never turns out. Lol. Tasted great toe but the rest of the family said too spicy
This was my first time making pollo con arroz. I was happy to find the recipe that looked just like how I order it at local restaurants. My rice turned out with way too much tomato flavor. I used two 8 oz cans and if I try it again I would use just 1 can. The queso had a gritty consistency no matter how much extra milk I used to thin it, but that could be from the type of white American cheese I used. I would try Kraft next time instead of the deli. Still fun trying something new.
Make sure you check that your local grocery store carries this specific Velveeta. Neither of mine do, but I only realized this after meal planning for the recipe. Just a heads up so you don’t make the same mistake that I did.
My picky teens and husband went wild for this recipe. And the best part was everything came out perfect the first time I made it. I’m not a good cook and especially have trouble with rice so that is saying something. Thank you for the excellent instructions!
This makes me so happy! And rice always gives me trouble too, but this recipe never fails me! So glad everyone liked it!
This was delicious and a keeper! Next time I will increase the amount of chicken by 1lb, decrease the rice mixture by 1 cup and half the cheese.
Thank you so much Amy! I am so glad you loved the recipe!
We made this tonight and it was delicious!! Spot on!! I followed all instructions except I forgot to get everything for the cheese sauce and used only queso velveeta type cheese and milk for the cheese sauce and everyone still approved. Great recipe!! Thank you!! My son said it was as good if not better than in the restaurants.
That is so great Paula! I am so glad everyone loved it and tell your son I said thank you!
Needed a recipe for “ACP” that was different than the Arroz con Pollo I was used to cooking and eating. For our area (Myrtle Beach, SC), ACP is exactly what the title of this recipe says…cheesy chicken and rice. I followed the recipe for the chicken to a T. Made some slights tweaks to the rice and cheese sauce and everyone loved it. Thank you!!!
Thank you Amy! I am so glad everyone liked it!
Our family LOVES this recipe. It is so easy to make and is full of flavor. I love that it’s not too spicy by any means and just such a comfort meal. We always have extra queso dip for chips.
This makes me so happy! And I love having the extra queso too because it is soooo good! Perfect for nachos 🙂
Sincerely disappointed. With all the rave reviews I thought this was going to be a winner. The rice was 1)WAY too much, and 2)undercooked and soupy.
The chicken flavor was bland. The cheese sauce lacked zip.
And, yes, I followed the directions provided EXACTLY (measuring devices, timers, etc just to be sure). I threw most of the rice and leftover cheese sauce away.
So sorry it didn’t work out for you.
Am I supposed to wash the rice before toasting it? I didn’t and it turned out super gummy. The flavor was good and loved the chicken and cheese sauce tho!
We really enjoyed this recipe so good
My rice turned out a little more red than yours. Is that okay? Taste wonderful!
Perfectly fine. I think it’s just the different varieties of sazon. Some are a bit more red. 🙂
I am so excited to try this recipe! Can you show me what Sazon Seasoning you use? There are so many and I have not used it before. Thank you!
I don’t have a way to post a picture, but it says Sazon Goya Coriander and Annato Seasoning on the package.
I have been trying to get a recipe for “Mexican Restaurant” chicken and I just discovered Arroz Con Pollo and it is my new favorite (though I skip the rice). This is awesome! My husband loved it too. I served his over rice and mine in a burrito pocket and we both said it is definitely in the rotation. I didn’t use enough chicken but it still had great flavor and I will know for next time. Also- now I have a great queso recipe!! Thanks for sharing.
Can you do this recipe with Jasmine rice?
Yes absolutely! You will need to adjust the cooking time for a bit longer though!
Husband was very, very happy with this dish! He said “I would fight someone if they tried to eat off this plate” – thanks!
Haha! Hands off he says! That is great. So glad he liked it so much! 🙂
I just made this recipe and the chicken and cheese were both very good but the rice did not turn out well. I am unsure why as I followed the recipe and it seems like other people had great success, but my rice was very watery, almost soup-like. I may try reducing the amount of tomato sauce and water but I am not sure if that will have other negative side effects. Any advice on how to remedy this would be greatly appreciated. I would love to perfect this recipe as it is one of my favorite meals from the restaurant.
Hi Micah! I am glad you liked the recipe but sorry you had issues with the rice. To help, I would need to know what kind of rice you used as they are all different and need different amounts of liquid and cooking times!
I don’t like to cook. I generally don’t follow recipes to the letter.
This recipe was pretty easy to make. I followed it, mostly. The beauty of it was that even at ‘mostly’, this came out good.
My kids told me it was good…unprompted. I didn’t use the specific cheese listed. I used some Cojito and some queso fresco. Neither are very flavorful, so the sauce was creamy but a tiny bit sweet because of that. Though my daughter pointed out that in the restaurant she likes, it’s the same way.
Anyway, it was a success on taste and ease of making!
Thank you for the great review, Martin! When the kids like it, I call that a win!
Are the measurements for the chicken suppose to be tsp and not tbs?!?! That’s a lot of seasoning?!
That is what I use, but if you feel it is too much, start with a tsp of each. You can always add more!
Never have I ever….Made a meal that everyone in the house liked. JK, but that does not happen a lot. I am totally making this for a dinner party with friends. Not too difficult and cheese sauce makes enough to have a dip appetizer. Leftovers reheat awesomely as well. Every part of this meal is delicious. Flavorful, bt not super spicy. Each person can doctor up this to make it a bit more interesting, or keep it simple the way it is. I was very excited to warm up my leftovers for lunch the next day.
Loved this dish! Only change I made was cooking the chicken in the rice pan first and removing then cooking rice in the chicken drippings. So good!
Sounds great Adrienne! Thanks for the tip of cooking the rice in the chicken drippings!
I was craving ACP and found your recipe. I couldn’t find the Sazon packets, and so I bought a bottle. Why I didn’t look up the equivalent measurement is beyond me, so I used a lot probably too much. But it still came out delicious! I’m a big fan of the cheese dip and will likely make that on its own! It made so much rice I made more chicken and we had it again. I dare say the rice was better on day 2 after the flavors melded together overnight. This will definitely go into the rotation! Thank you for this recipe!
Made this acp recipe last night and the family loved it. Very tasty!
Do you wash your rice before toasting it?
I do not for this recipe!
I meant rinse…