34g protein per serving. One pot. The comfort food your abuela made, now working harder for your body after 45. Try our Dominican arroz con pollo high protein for a nutritious meal.

I published this recipe in 2015. Back then, I was just trying to share the food I grew up eating, the food my family made without thinking twice about it. A locrio was just a locrio. Rice, chicken, smoked pork, sofrito. Sunday food. Comfort food. Feed-everyone food.

Ten years later, I am an AFPA Certified Nutritionist building Strength & Sazón, a brand rooted in exactly this kind of cooking. And when I came back to this recipe, I had to stop and laugh a little. Because this dish was already doing everything right. Thirty-one grams of protein per serving. Two protein sources in one pot. Sofrito is built from scratch with real aromatics. Dominican kitchen wisdom is showing up exactly the way it always has, quietly and without needing any credit.

I did not change the recipe. I just finally understood it.

WHY I CAME BACK TO THIS ONE

• When I revisit old recipes for Strength & Sazón, I am looking for a few things. Does it align with how I cook now, protein-forward, blood sugar conscious, built for women over 45 who want real food? Does it carry our Dominican identity without apology? And does it actually taste like something you want to eat on a Tuesday night when you are tired?
• This locrio said yes to all three before I even touched it.
• The only thing I added was the nutritionist notes, the protein breakdown, and a few smart swaps for women managing blood sugar or working around dietary needs. The recipe itself is exactly what my family has been making for decades.

NUTRITIONIST NOTE

As an AFPA Certified Nutritionist, I want you to know that this dish is genuinely protein-forward without any modification. Women over 45 need 1.2 to 1.6g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily to protect muscle mass and support hormonal health. One serving of this locrio gets you to 34g, and if you add a side of stewed red beans, you are looking at 35g or more from a single meal that has been feeding Dominican families for generations.

Protein score

• This dish already earns what I call a Power rating, 30g or more of protein per serving, straight from the pot with no modifications needed.
• Standard arroz con pollo: about 20g protein per serving. This locrio de pollo y chuletas: 34g protein per serving
• That is the difference between a rice dish with some chicken in it and a genuinely protein-forward meal.
• Protein Score: 34g per serving Calorie to protein ratio: 23 calories per gram of protein Verdict: Power level protein, real Dominican food, no supplements needed.
• To push it to 35g or more, keep your rice portion moderate and add more chicken or pork to your plate, plus a spoonful of stewed red beans or a side of avocado.

WHY THIS IS HIGH-PROTEIN COMFORT FOOD

Most rice dishes are carb-heavy with protein as an afterthought. This locrio is the opposite. The rice is the base, yes, but the chicken and smoked pork chops are doing the real work here.

Standard arroz con pollo: around 18 to 22g protein per serving This Dominican locrio version: 34g protein per serving

The combination of chicken and smoked pork chops is not just about flavor. Two protein sources in one pot means a more complete amino acid profile and better muscle protein synthesis, which matters more than most women over 45 realize.

Dominican Arroz con Pollo, Locrio de Pollo y Chuletas (34g Protein)

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Author: Gaila - Strength & Sazón

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This Dominican locrio de pollo y chuletas delivers 34g of protein per serving from chicken and smoked pork chops. An AFPA nutritionist recipe designed for women over 45. One pot, 65 minutes, real flavor.

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Ingredients

For the chicken marinade

• 1 whole chicken 2.5 to 3 pounds, cut into pieces
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ onion cut into strips
• ½ green cubanela pepper cut into strips
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the locrio

• 3 smoked pork chops cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 cups rice
• 3 ½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro finely sliced
• ¼ cup fresh parsley finely sliced
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the sofrito

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ onion cut into strips
• ½ green cubanela pepper cut into strips
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

Instructions

Marinate the chicken

• Season chicken with lime juice, onion, cubanela pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper. Let it sit at least 30 minutes, or all day if you can.

Brown the chicken Dominican style

• Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Sprinkle sugar over the bottom. When it bubbles and turns dark golden, add chicken pieces and brown on all sides in batches, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove and set aside.

Build the sofrito

• In the same pot, add olive oil. Add onion, cubanela pepper, garlic, and tomato paste. Cook 4 minutes on low, scraping up all the browned bits. Add a splash of water or cooking wine if needed.

Cook the rice

• Add rice and stir until every grain is coated with sofrito. Add water and bring to a boil. When water is mostly absorbed, reduce heat to very low and cover. Cook 15 minutes.

Finish the locrio

• Uncover and gently move the rice. Add chicken and smoked pork pieces. Cover again and cook 15 to 20 minutes until rice is fully cooked but still holds its shape.

Serve

• Garnish with fresh cilantro and parsley. Serve hot with stewed red beans, avocado salad, and tostones for the full Dominican plate.

Nutrition

Calories: 618kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 537mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 417IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Follow @Strengthandsazon snap a photo and tag #Strengthandsazon!

WHAT MAKES THIS LOCRIO DIFFERENT

• A locrio is not just rice with meat thrown in. The technique is everything.
• First, you brown the chicken Dominican style, with a little sugar in the oil that creates a deep caramelized color and a flavor you cannot get any other way. Then you build your sofrito in the same pot, scraping up every bit of that browned fond from the bottom. Then the rice goes in dry, toasted in the sofrito before a single drop of water touches it.
• That layering of flavor is what separates a locrio from plain rice. And it is why this dish has been feeding families for generations without needing a single update.

SMART SWAPS

• White rice, try parboiled or long grain for better texture and slightly lower glycemic impact. The locrio method works beautifully with both.
• Smoked pork chops, try smoked turkey leg or smoked chicken sausage for a lighter version that keeps the smoky depth.
• Regular chicken pieces, use bone-in chicken thighs only for even more protein and better flavor. Thighs hold up better in one-pot cooking than breast.
• Add collagen peptides to the cooking water, 1 scoop unflavored. It dissolves completely, adds 8g of protein to the whole pot, and nobody will know.

TIPS

• Brown in batches. If you crowd the pot, the chicken steams instead of browning, and you lose the whole foundation of flavor this dish is built on.
• Do not skip the sugar step. It sounds unusual, but this is the Dominican technique for browning chicken. The sugar caramelizes fast, coats the chicken, and creates color and depth that no other method replicates.
• Scrape the pot when you make the sofrito. Those dark bits stuck to the bottom after browning are pure flavor. A splash of water or cooking wine lifts them right up.
• Do not overcook the rice at the end. You want each grain to hold its shape. Check at 15 minutes and go from there.
• Garnish right before serving. Fresh cilantro and parsley added at the end keep their color and their brightness. They are not decoration, they are part of the flavor.

PROTEIN BOOST OPTIONS

• This locrio already hits 34g protein per serving. If you want more:
• Serve with a side of stewed red beans. Adds extra protein and fiber, and it is the complete Dominican plate.
• Increase the meat ratio. Add extra chicken thighs or an extra smoked chop, and keep the rice portion slightly smaller.
• Add a quick side protein. A boiled egg or a simple avocado salad on the side rounds out the meal beautifully.

FAQ SECTION

• What is a locrio? A locrio is a Dominican one-pot rice dish, similar in spirit to Spanish paella and pilaf. It is rice cooked with meat, sofrito, and aromatics until every grain is infused with flavor. Locrio de pollo y chuletas, made with chicken and smoked pork chops, is one of the most classic versions in Dominican cooking.
• Is arroz con pollo high in protein? This Dominican locrio version delivers 34g of protein per serving, significantly more than a standard arroz con pollo, which averages 18 to 22g. The combination of whole chicken pieces and smoked pork chops in one pot creates a naturally protein-forward dish without any modification needed.
• Is this recipe good for women over 45? Yes. Women over 45 need 1.2 to 1.6g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily to protect muscle mass during hormonal shifts. At 34g per serving, this locrio is a meaningful contribution to that daily target. Pair it with a side of stewed red beans to push the protein even higher.
• What is the difference between locrio and arroz con pollo? Both are one-pot rice and chicken dishes with Latin roots. Arroz con pollo is found across Latin America and Spain with many regional variations. Locrio is specifically Dominican, characterized by the caramelized sugar browning technique, the cubanela pepper-based sofrito, and the dry-toasting of rice before adding liquid. The flavor profile is deeper and more layered.
• Can I make this ahead of time? Yes. Locrio reheats beautifully. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Add a splash of water when reheating to loosen the rice. It also freezes well for up to 2 months.

This is the pot that shows up when family comes over. It is the dish that makes the whole house smell like Sunday. And it has been feeding people well, 34g of protein per plate, long before any of us were counting grams.

Cook the food your abuela made. Just know why it works.

A buen tiempo.

Con Fuerza y Sazón,

Gaila

AFPA Certified Nutritionist, Dominican Cook, Bariatric Patient

Did you make this recipe? I want to see your plate! Tag @strengthandsazon and use #StrengthAndSazon so I can share your creation with our whole community 🇩🇴

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