This inviting Honduran platter is as good as street food gets! Try this dish, piled high with fried chicken, sauces, and vegetables for a great insight into the tastes of Honduras.
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Recipe Origins
Pollo con Tajadas, also known as Pollo Chuco, is a popular street food dish eaten across Honduras. It originated in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
This dish is WELL loved by Hondurans and visitors alike. It is made by piling layers of food on a platter in this order:
- Fried Green Plantains
- Shredded Cabbage
- Fried Chicken
- Tomato Sauce
- Chismol (Honduran Pico de Gallo)
- Pink Sauce (similar to Yum Yum Sauce)
- Pickled Vegetables
Pollo con Tajadas translates to mean “Chicken with Slices”, because it is served on a bed of fried plátano verde (green plantain) slices.
Though this dish is most easily made when you already have some of the elements prepared, I’m going to take you through the whole process! By the end of this article, you’ll be a Pollo con Tajadas master, ready to make this dish at home. Then prepare a really popular street food to accompany it – Elote Loco. This corn on the cob is topped with a variety of condiments!
Why Make this Recipe
- Unique: This dish has a unique blend of so many flavors.
- “Travel” to Honduras: If you’ve ever wanted to travel to Honduras, this Pollo con Tajadas recipe is an amazing way to enjoy taste testing some of the cuisine ahead of your visit.
- Sauces: The sauces on this platter really are the best part in my opinion, especially when the fried plantain slices get coated in them. OMG it’s like nachos on steroids!
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
I’m going to be honest here… You need a lot of things to make this recipe. But it’s worth the effort, I promise!
- Chicken: Use bone-in, skin-on chicken. I buy a full cut up chicken from my butcher, which includes thighs, legs, breasts, and wings
- Beet Juice: This can be found already bottled at your grocery store. It is purely for color, so you can also omit and just use distilled white vinegar if you prefer.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh squeezed, if possible
- Green Plantains: Plantains can be found in most grocery stores. Make sure to find the ones that are still green and not yet forming brown spots. If you can’t find any, green bananas (which I used in my Grenadian Oil Down recipe) are an okay substitute.
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Marinate the Chicken
Mix the chicken bouillon, cumin, black pepper, onion powder, paprika, and garlic salt together in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, add the chicken. Coat the chicken in mustard and use your hands to rub it around.
Sprinkle the spice mix over the chicken, using your hands to make sure the chicken is coated.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least an hour as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Step 2: Make the Pickled Onions
Add the sliced red onion into a mason jar along with the oregano, salt, and pepper.
Pour in the vinegar and beet juice. If your container is not completely filled, you can continue to add more vinegar until the liquid reaches the top.
Put the lid on the container, keeping it airtight. Allow the mason jar to rest in the fridge for at least an hour as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Step 3: Shred the Cabbage
Use a knife to slice the cabbage very thinly, so that it looks thinner than the texture of coleslaw. Set aside.
Step 4: Make the Chismol
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Add salt or pepper to taste.
Rest in the fridge as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Step 5: Make the Pink Sauce
Combine all of the ingredients together in a small bowl and mix until fully combined. Add more salt or vinegar to taste.
Rest in the fridge as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Step 6: Make the Tomato Sauce
In a small pot over medium heat, add the Chismol. Cook over heat for a few minutes until softened.
Add the tomato sauce and chicken broth, and turn the heat to high.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
Step 7: Prep the Plantains
Remove the peels from the plantains using instructions detailed in my Tostones Recipe.
Cut the plantains into thin, diagonal slices.
Step 8: Fry the Chicken and Plantains
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot with tall sides until it reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put the flour in a shallow bowl or pie tin.
Remove the chicken from the fridge and dip the chicken in the flour, making sure the entire surface is covered in flour.
Place the floured chicken on a cookie sheet and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken into the vegetable oil, and fry the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit (about 8-10 minutes). Once cooked, set the chicken on a paper towel-lined plate
Add the sliced plantains into the oil and fry until they turn yellow and crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Step 9: Plate
On a plate, layer the ingredients in the following order:
- Fried Plantains
- Shredded cabbage
- Fried chicken
- Tomato sauce
- Chismol
- Pink sauce
- Pickled onions
Expert Tips
- I am only pickling onions in this recipe, but you can also pickle carrots, beets, and jalapenos if you so desire.
- If you don’t want to use a knife to cut the cabbage you can also use a potato peeler or shred it on a cheese grater.
- Add shredded carrots to the cabbage if you’d like
- Some recipes add vinegar and cumin to the cabbage. I do not, but you can.
- Most recipes call for green plantains, but if you can’t find them, green bananas (guineo) are a good sub
- This will make enough for 4 platters. Each platter is 2 servings.
- Instead of lemon juice, Naranja Agria is the typical choice to use in chismol. Goya sells this in most supermarkets, so try it out if you can!
Recipe FAQs
If you have leftovers that need reheating, you can use a combination of oven (or air fryer!) and the microwave.
The plantains and fried chicken would be best reheated in an airfryer or in an oven until warm and crispy.
The tomato sauce can be heated up in the microwave until warm.
The cabbage, chismol, pink sauce, and pickled onions can go onto the platter cold.
In some cases, I haven’t felt like frying chicken so I’ve just put rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken on my platter for Pollo con Tajadas. You can also bake it instead.
I’d always recommend the fried chicken for your first Pollo con Tajadas experience, though!
Did you enjoy this Pollo con Tajadas (or Pollo Chuco) recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Bandeja Paisa Colombiana
- Chifrijo from Costa Rica
- Red Beans and Plantains from Burundi
- Frites with Andalouse Sauce from Belgium
Pollo con Tajadas Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Ingredients
- 2 tsp Liquid Chicken bouillon, (or 2 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled)
- 2 tsp Cumin, ground
- ½ tsp black pepper (Use code FF20 for 20% off)
- 2 tsp Onion powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Garlic salt
- 3 lb Chicken pieces, bone-in skin-on (combination of drumsticks, thighs, and breasts)
- 4 tbsp Mustard
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- Vegetable Oil , for Frying
Pickled Onion Ingredients
- ½ Red onion, sliced
- ⅛ tsp Oregano
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp Pepper
- ½ cup Distilled white vinegar
- 3 tbsp Beet juice
Cabbage Ingredients
- ½ Head of cabbage
Chismol Ingredients
- 1 Green pepper, diced
- ½ White onion, diced
- 3 Roma Tomatoes, diced
- 2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 3 tbsp Lemon Juice, Naranja Agria is the traditional choice if you can find it!
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Pink Sauce Ingredients
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Ketchup
- 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp White vinegar
- Hot sauce to taste, optional
Tomato Sauce Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Chismol, already prepared
- ½ cup Tomato sauce
- ½ cup Chicken broth
Plantains
- 4 Green Plantains, can sub plantains if necessary
- Vegetable Oil, for frying
Instructions
Chicken Instructions
- Mix the 2 tsp chicken bouillon, 2 tsp cumin, ½ tsp black pepper, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp paprika, and 1 tsp garlic salt together in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, add the 3 lb of chicken pieces. Coat the chicken in 4 tbsp mustard and use your hands to rub it around.
- Sprinkle the spice mix over the chicken, using your hands to make sure the chicken is coated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least an hour as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Pickled Onion Instructions
- Add half a sliced red onion into a mason jar along with the ⅛ tsp oregano, ¼ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper.
- Pour in the ½ cup vinegar and 3 tbsp beet juice. If your container is not completely filled, you can continue to add more vinegar until the liquid reaches the top.
- Put the lid on the container, keeping it airtight. Allow the mason jar to rest in the fridge for at least an hour as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Cabbage Instructions
- Use a knife to slice the ½ head of cabbage very thinly, so that it looks thinner than the texture of coleslaw. Set aside.
Chismol Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Add salt or pepper to taste.
- Rest in the fridge as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Pink Sauce Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients together in a small bowl and mix until fully combined. Add more salt or vinegar to taste.
- Rest in the fridge as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Tomato Sauce Instructions
- In a small pot over medium heat, add the 3 tbsp Chismol. Cook over heat for a few minutes until softened.
- Add the ½ cup tomato sauce and ½ cup chicken broth, and turn the heat to high.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
Green Plantains Instructions
- Remove the peels from the plantains using instructions detailed in my Tostones Recipe.
- Cut the 4 green plantains into thin, diagonal slices.
Frying Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot with tall sides until it reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Put the 2 cups flour in a shallow bowl or pie tin.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge and dip the chicken in the flour, making sure the entire surface is covered in flour.
- Place the floured chicken on a cookie sheet and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken into the vegetable oil, and fry the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit (about 8-10 minutes). Once cooked, set the chicken on a paper towel-lined plate
- Add the sliced plantains into the oil and fry until they turn yellow and crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Plating Instructions
- On a plate, layer the ingredients in the following order: fried plantains, shredded cabbage, fried chicken, tomato sauce, chismol, pink sauce, then pickled vegetables. Dig in and enjoy!
Notes
- Chicken: Use bone-in, skin-on chicken. I buy a full cut up chicken from my butcher, which includes thighs, legs, breasts, and wings
- Beet Juice: This can be found already bottled at your grocery store. It is purely for color, so you can also omit and just use distilled white vinegar if you prefer.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh squeezed, if possible
- Green Plantains: Plantains can be found in most grocery stores. Make sure to find the green ones that aren’t forming any spots yet. If you can’t, green bananas are a good substitute.
- I am only pickling onions in this recipe, but you can also pickle carrots, beets, and jalapenos if you so desire.
- This will make enough for 4 platters. Each platter is 2 servings.
- If you don’t want to use a knife to cut the cabbage you can also use a potato peeler or shred it on a cheese grater.
- Add shredded carrots to the cabbage if you’d like
- Some recipes add vinegar and cumin to the cabbage. I do not, but you can.
Zayna says
Love this dish. So succulent and fresh. They use very green regular bananas and no plantains. Bananas no plátano macho.
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Thank you Zayna!
Toni says
What kind of mustard do you use?
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
I just use a normal yellow mustard!
Ivis says
Looks and tastes good, but the real Pollo Chuco is made with green banana slices (tajadas de guineo verde) which you suggested to use as a substitute for the plantain.
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Thank you Ivis! I actually received opposing advice from my Honduran recipe editor! I am wondering if either can be used in different parts of the country/home/etc?
Suellen says
I’m impressed with how well-researched this recipe is! Pollo Chuco is one of the best street foods you can try! I would say though that green bananas is the preferred choice over green plantains, at least in San Pedro Sula. And the last thing is about the sauces, no Pollo Chuco is identical in that people use a variety of sauces and dressings! The tomato based and Mayo-based are almost always used, but, in addition to that you can find some other sauces as well! Delicious!
The Foreign Fork says
Thank you Suellen! I really appreciate your approval and additions!
Elise says
I am Canadian and my husband is Honduran. I have attempted Honduran recipes in the past and haven’t always been successful. I tried this recipe tonight and my husband was beyond thrilled and said it tasted like real Honduran cooking! Thank you for helping me out in the kitchen!
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Elise, I am so glad that your husband approved!! This meal is such a delicious combo of flavors that it’s hard not to love. Thanks for sharing a review 🙂