Chicken arroz rojo is “nourishing and satisfying”
And one-pot, too.
Cooking
July 9, 2025
Two servings of chicken arroz rojo are shown in shallow beige bowls with forks.
Kay Chun’s one-pot chicken arroz rojo. Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Chicken arroz rojo is satisfying and summery

I pulled the season’s first tomato off the vine at a friend’s farm this weekend, a firm, sweet Sungold that was still a little warm from the sun, and popped it right into my mouth. It was heaven. So tomato season has begun here in the Northeast, though, for me, BLT season has to wait for August’s juicy heirlooms. Until then, I find ways to make the most of the perky early summer tomato crop, including Kay Chun’s one-pot chicken arroz rojo.

Kay riffs on a classic arroz rojo, usually made with tomato paste and garlic, by adding fresh tomatoes and corn for sweetness. She throws in large pieces of boneless chicken thighs and makes everything sizzle with a few slices of jalapeño. Kay cooks her dish in a pot on the stove, but the Instant Pot people can also check out easy directions from Edith, a reader, in the notes. Either method will get you through to BLT season in fine style.

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One-Pot Chicken Arroz Rojo

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More food for thought

Swordfish with tomatoes: Here’s another way to show off your summer tomato haul. Brett Anderson takes inspiration from Italy, where garlic, tomatoes, olives and anchovies habitually share a pan with any number of sea creatures. Searing the swordfish only briefly, and then simmering it slowly in a winy sauce, ensures that it stays juicy. Serve it with bread, pasta or rice to catch the tangy sauce.

Roasted eggplant salad: Use either the broiler or the grill to make David Tanis’s smoky, peppery, cumin-scented salad. For the silkiest texture, make sure to let the eggplant skin get black and wrinkly so the flesh has a chance to turn soft and spoonable. Don’t forget a pita to scoop it all up.

Pasta with green bean ragù: Splashing a little pasta cooking water into the pan is an age-old technique for adding body to pasta dishes. Eric “Going Green” Kim adds even more oomph by cooking green beans in the salted water before adding the pasta to the pot. The resulting green-bean broth gives a sweet, fresh vegetable flavor to the sauce here, which features pork sausage, Parmesan and lemon.

Broccoli soba salad: Hetty Lui McKinnon strikes again with a hot take on cold noodles. For this one, she borrowed from yamitsuki, a.k.a. “addictive cabbage,” made by scrunching up raw cabbage leaves with salt, pepper, garlic and sesame oil. Hetty gives broccoli that same salty-scrunchy treatment, and then adds bouillon powder for an umami blast and tosses it with nutty soba noodles for a cooling dish that’s hard to stop eating.

Vegan banana bread: The intense, almost caramel-like flavor of Genevieve Ko’s easy loaf bread comes from the overripe bananas that supplant the eggs. Ultra-moist on the inside, with a crunchy, nutty topping, it’s one of those not-too-sweet treats that shine as breakfast or dessert.

Doesn’t this make you glad you subscribe to NYT Cooking, to get these and all the other great recipes we’ve created for you? (It’s easy to subscribe if you haven’t already.) If you need technical assistance, you can send an email to the genius minds at cookingcare@nytimes.com. And I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi.

That’s all for now. I’ll see you on Monday.

A white plate holds a dish of swordfish with an olive- and tomato-based sauce.

Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.

Swordfish With Tomatoes

By Brett Anderson

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

83

45 minutes

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Article Image

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Roasted Eggplant Salad

By David Tanis

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185

30 minutes, plus at least 15 minutes’ cooling

Makes 6 servings

Article Image

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Pasta With Green Bean Ragù

By Eric Kim

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337

35 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Article Image

Nico Schinco for The New York Times

Broccoli Soba Salad 

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarUnfilled Star

11

25 minutes

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Article Image

Joseph De Leo for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Vegan Banana Bread

By Genevieve Ko

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

347

1 1/4 hours, plus cooling

Makes One 9- or 10-inch cake (8 to 12 servings)

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