Try our recipe for Locrio de Pollo (Dominican Chicken and Rice). It is the most popular locrio in our country and combines vegetables, rice, and chicken in a juicy, flavorful dish.
Why we ❤️ it
You will never hear the words Locrio de Pollo (Arroz con Pollo a la Dominicana) outside our country. Not because the dish is unique, but the word "locrio" certainly is.
What is "Locrio"?
Locrio is a mixture of rice with meat or vegetables, to which color is added with tomato sauce, or with bija (annatto). The word locrio is a Dominicanism, at least according to the RAE (Royal Academy of the Spanish Language).
There are many types of locrios, but I think there are no coherent rules to determine when a combination with rice is a locrio. In general, rice with beans is a Moro, while rice with meat, fish, or seafood is a Locrio. But not all meats, fish, and seafood can be combined into a locrio, for example, there is no beef locrio, except for sausage.
More locrio recipes
On our blog, we have many of the best-known locrio recipes, as well as the lesser-known ones like the Moro-Locrio in which two of our most popular rice dishes are combined. And to prove the irrationality of the rules, there is a bulgur one, in which it replaces rice.
- Locrio de Pica-Pica (Rice and Spicy Sardines)
- Locrio de Arenque (Rice and Smoked Herrings)
- Locrio de Molleja (Rice and Chicken Gizzards)
- Locrio de Salami (Rice and Dominican-Style Salami)
- Locrio de Chuleta (Rice with Smoked Pork Chops)
- Locrio de Camarones (Dominican Rice and Shrimp)
- Locrio de Chicharrón de Cerdo (Rice and Pork Crackling)
- Moro-Locrio (Dominican Black Beans, Rice, and Pork)
- Locrio de Trigo (Bulgur with Pork Sausage)
- Locrio de Longaniza y Camarones ("Surf and Turf" Rice)
- Oven-Cooked Locrio with Chorizo
Locrio de pollo
Locrio vs arroz con pollo
The closest thing to the word locrio, although not to the concept, is the Ecuadorian Locro, a potato-based soup. But throughout Latin America there are versions of our Dominican chicken and rice, but with different names.
Arroz con Pollo (rice with chicken) is the closest version to Dominican Locrio de Pollo, and there exist versions in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Ecuador, just to mention a few. In Spain, paella is the closest thing to the traditional Dominican arroz con pollo, and probably its ancestor.
About our recipe
Each Dominican family has its own locrio de pollo, in which some ingredients will be added, and others will be changed. This is my family recipe, where auyama (squash) is the secret ingredient that makes it juicier and gives it a beautiful color.
Is there any ingredient in your locrio de pollo that mine doesn't have? I'd love to hear it.
Recipe
[Recipe + Video] Locrio de Pollo (Rice and Chicken)
Equipment
- Aluminum or cast iron pot, 4 gallon capacity with tight-fitting lid
Ingredients
- 3 pound bone-in chicken, [1.8 kg], cut into small pieces
- 1½ teaspoon salt, (or rmore, to taste) divided
- 1 teaspoon oregano (dry, ground)
- 1 sprig of fresh coriander
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground), or to taste
- 1 bell pepper, (or cubanelle pepper) chopped
- 1 small red onion, minced
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon mashed garlic
- ⅛ cup capers
- ⅛ cup pitted green olives, halved
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 cup diced auyama (kabocha squash), or carrot (both optional)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups rice
Instructions
Marinate chicken: In a bowl combine chicken, salt, oregano, cilantro, pepper, bell pepper, onion, celery, garlic, capers, olives, and lime juice. Mix well, and let it rest for 30 minutes.- Cooking chicken: In the cast iron or aluminum pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat, reserving 2 tablespoons for later use. Add the sugar to the heated oil.When the sugar turns dark brown, add the chicken (reserving the vegetables and herbs from the marinade), being careful not to splash the oil. Stir for one minute.Add the vegetables from the marinade, pumpkin, tomato sauce, and stir to combine. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
- Cooking rice: Taste the water and season with salt to taste. Add the rice and stir often to prevent it from sticking too much to the bottom.Once the water has evaporated, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Uncover and stir, moving the rice from the bottom to the top.Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste the rice to see if it is ready; it should be firm but tender inside. If it is not fully cooked, cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Serving: Serve with some avocado slices and tostones.
Video
Tips and Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.
Published Dec 26, 2005, revised
