Our chicken and rice with sausage is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs dinner that’s filling and delicious! This budget-friendly recipe features chicken thighs, smoked sausage, and rice cooked with onions, garlic, and a medley of spices. It’s the perfect family dinner.
What’s great about this recipe
This one-pot meal makes dinner easy and flavorful. The rice is cooked in the same pot, and we even add a beer, arroz con pollo style, to help steam the rice. In the end, you get a Spanish-style rice dish with tender, flavorful chicken and sausage that the family will really enjoy.
Ingredients
- Chicken – I recommend using chicken thighs because they can handle a long cooking time without drying out. Make sure the chicken is boneless and skinless, regardless of whether you decide to use white or dark meat, as bone-in will throw off the cooking times.
- Sausage – Use a fully cooked variety. We use smoked sausage, but kielbasa and andouille will also be delicious with this chicken and rice.
- Rice – Use jasmine or long grain white rice.
- Pantry, herbs, and spices – Tomato paste, salt, paprika, turmeric, dried oregano, ground cumin, black pepper, and a bay leaf enhance the flavor of this dish. The tomato paste, paprika, and turmeric are mostly responsible for the beautiful color of the rice. If you don’t have turmeric, you can substitute Bijol or annatto.
- Oil – We use olive oil but any oil with a moderate smoke point can be substituted.
- Produce – Onions and garlic are sautéed with the meat to add another layer of flavor. Fresh parsley can be used at the end for garnish (optional).
- Liquid – White wine is used to deglaze the pot (chicken broth can be substituted). Chicken broth and water cook the rice. At the end, light beer is used as extra liquid to finish steaming the rice and give this dish its moist consistency.
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
How to make our chicken and rice with sausage
- Season the chicken on both sides with 1 teaspoon of salt. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chicken thighs. Cook them for 3-4 minutes.
- Turn each piece and cook for another 2-3 minutes to brown on both sides. If the chicken is sticking to the pot, give it another minute and try again.
- Add the sausage and onions to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the tomato paste and the seasoning mix (1 teaspoon salt, paprika, turmeric, oregano, cumin, black pepper) to the pot and stir well to combine.
- Add the white wine and stir while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes to cook out some of the wine. Stir occasionally.
- Add the rice, chicken broth, water, and the bay leaf to the pot. Stir well.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil. Then lower heat to medium and simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Stir often at first so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Then stir occasionally as it gets going.
- We want most of the liquid to be cooked out. The rice should be seen on the surface and when you stir, it doesn’t sink to the bottom. Once the liquid has cooked out, lower the heat to low, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Give the rice one good stir halfway through the cooking time, getting to the rice on the bottom of the pot.
Taste a little bit of the rice. If it needs salt, this is the time to add it. As a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours. The rice may still be a little firm in the center. That’s okay.
- Now, raise the heat to medium-low and slowly add the beer while stirring. Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes. Stir it once to make sure it’s not sticking on the bottom.
Finish the rice
- Lower the heat to low, cover, and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Stir once halfway through the cooking time.
- Check the rice, if it’s not done continue steaming another 5-10 minutes and check it again.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Serve and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Substitutions and variations
- White wine - Chicken broth can be substituted.
- Olive oil - Substitute with any oil that has a moderate smoke point.
- Turmeric - Substitute with Bijol or annatto if unavailable.
Storing instructions
Cooling: Allow the leftovers to cool, but do not leave them out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F).
Refrigerating: Portion the leftovers and store them in airtight containers. Refrigerate for 3-4 days.
Freezing: To freeze, cool the food and place it in freezer-safe, airtight containers. Leave about an inch of space at the top for expansion. Label the containers and freeze for 2-3 months.
Reheating: If the food is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator. Reheat the food from the refrigerator in the microwave or on the stovetop in a non-stick skillet over medium to medium-low heat until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F. (cover the skillet and stir often).
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
Recipe tips and notes
- You'll need a large pot or sauté pan (with a lid) to make this dish. We used a 6-quart enameled Dutch oven.
- Things move quickly in the beginning, so have everything ready to go before you start cooking.
- Remove any excess fat from the chicken. Chicken thighs especially are sold with a lot of fat on the underside.
- When using multiple spices that go in at the same time, make a seasoning mix to avoid standing over a hot pot measuring them out.
If you like this recipe, check out these hearty and comforting dinners.
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📖 Recipe
Chicken and Rice with Sausage
Our chicken and rice with sausage is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs dinner that’s filling and delicious! This budget-friendly recipe features chicken thighs, smoked sausage, and rice cooked with onions, garlic, and a medley of spices. It’s the perfect family dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chicken Thighs boneless, skinless, excess fat removed and cut into large pieces
- 2 teaspoons Salt divided
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Bijol or annatto can be substituted
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 14-16 ounces Smoked Sausage sliced into bite sized rounds (use a fully cooked variety, smoked, kielbasa, or andouille will work well)
- 1 Medium Onion finely diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- ¼ cup White Wine
- 2 cups Jasmine or Long Grain White Rice
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Water
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 12 ounces Light Beer room temperature
- Chopped Parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Season the chicken on both sides with 1 teaspoon of salt. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chicken thighs. Cook them for 3-4 minutes. Turn each piece and cook for another 2-3 minutes to brown on both sides. If the chicken is sticking to the pot, give it another minute and try again.
- Add the sausage and onions to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the tomato paste and the seasoning mix (1 teaspoon salt, paprika, turmeric, oregano, cumin, black pepper) to the pot and stir well to combine.
- Add the white wine and stir while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes to cook out some of the wine. Stir occasionally.
- Add the rice, chicken broth, water, and the bay leaf to the pot. Stir well.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil. Then lower heat to medium and simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Stir often at first so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Then stir occasionally as it gets going.
- We want most of the liquid to be cooked out. The rice should be seen on the surface and when you stir, it doesn’t sink to the bottom. Once the liquid has cooked out, lower the heat to low, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Give the rice one good stir halfway through the cooking time, getting to the rice on the bottom of the pot.
- Taste a little bit of the rice. If it needs salt, this is the time to add it. As a reference we added ¼ teaspoon to ours. The rice may still be a little firm in the center. That’s okay.
- Now, raise the heat to medium-low and slowly add the beer while stirring. Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes. Stir it once to make sure it’s not sticking on the bottom.
- Lower the heat to low, cover, and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Stir once halfway through the cooking time.
- Check the rice, if it’s not done continue steaming another 5-10 minutes and check it again.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Serve and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
You'll need a large pot or sauté pan to make this dish. We used a 6-quart enameled Dutch oven.
While the chicken thighs brown, they may start to break apart. With the cooking time and stirring, they might break apart even more. That's perfectly fine; this way, there will be chicken pieces throughout the rice. So good!
Nutrition
Calories: 600kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 28gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 1747mgPotassium: 512mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 189IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 2mg
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
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