Fricase de Pollo from Cuba

Fricase de Pollo, a hearty Cuban stew, served over white rice on a plate and garnished with chopped cilantro.

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Fricase de Pollo is a flavorful chicken stew from Cuba where chicken is slowly braised in wine with plenty of vegetables. This Cuban comfort food will warm you from the inside out.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Cuban

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 30

Servings

Calories 387kcal

Author Alexandria Drzazgowski

Equipment

Large Bowl
Large pot or large dutch oven

Ingredients

2 lb bone in skin-off chicken (drums and thighs)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 tsp adobo
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Orange juiced
4 Limes juiced
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 white onion diced
½ red bell pepper diced
½ green bell pepper diced
1 Sazon packet
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Paprika
¾ cup dry white wine Vino seco
1 cup tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
1 russet potato diced into 1” cubes
2-3 Carrots cut into 1” rounds
¾ cup Spanish Olives
½ cup Chicken stock more or less as necessary

Instructions

Season 2 lb chicken generously with salt, and pepper to taste and 2 tsp adobo. Then in a bowl, add the chicken along with the 2 cloves minced garlic, orange juice from 2 oranges, and lime juice from 4 limes. Make sure the chicken is surrounded by the juices. Cover and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes but up to 24 hours.
Once the chicken is done marinating, drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil in a dutch oven and allow it to warm.
Add the chicken into the skillet, reserving the marinade, and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until each side is browned. The chicken will not be cooked through, you simply want the outside to be brown. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add 1 onion, ½ red bell pepper, and ½ green bell pepper and saute for a few minutes until the vegetables soften. You can add an extra drizzle of olive oil here if the pan is dry.
Once the vegetables soften, sprinkle them with the packet of sazon, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp paprika. Saute for a few minutes until the vegetables soften.
Add ¾ cup white wine into the pan to deglaze and scrape up any bits left on the bottom of the pan.
Add 1 cup tomato sauce, the remaining marinade, and 2 bay leaves, and mix until the liquid begins to bubble.
Add the chicken back into the pot along with the cubed potatoes, 2-3 carrots rounds, and ¾ cup spanish olives. Pour ½ cup chicken broth into the pot until your chicken is mostly submerged.
Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, then uncover and simmer on low until most of the liquid is soaked up (this took about an hour for me). Season with additional adobo if desired as cooking.
Serve with white rice and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe researched using Chef Zee Cooks, Anitas Delights, CookedbyJulie

Recipe Copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.

Chicken: For the most authentic flavor, I prefer bone-in, skinless chicken drums and thighs but you could make this with boneless meat or even chicken breast. I prefer dark-meat chicken
Adobo: Adobo seasoning is a paste or marinade used in many Mexican dishes. You may be able to find it in your grocery store’s Hispanic or Latino section.
Orange: You want fresh orange juice for this marinade if possible. Fresh juice is a bit more sour and you want sour orange juice for the best flavor.
Limes: Again, choose fresh for the best results
Bell Peppers: I like to use one red pepper and one green pepper
Sazon packet: Sazon is a common seasoning for Puerto Rican dishes. It contains coriander, cumin, garlic powder and oregano
Dry White Wine: Choose a wine that you enjoy drinking as this is the base of flavor for the dish. If you prefer not to use wine, use a high quality chicken broth or chicken stock.
Tomato Sauce: You can also use tomato paste and add a little extra liquid. This is important for the tomato-based sauce
Russet Potatoes: You don’t need very much potato for this recipe. Just a little bit really helps thicken the sauce
Spanish Olives: These green olives add a unique flavor to the dish
Chicken Stock: More or less as necessary
This is not a quick dinner recipe. The cooking time is about 45 minutes, and before that there is a lot of prep work. You can make the actual cooking go faster by preparing your marinade ahead of time, chopping vegetables ahead of time, and having all your ingredients on hand and ready to throw in at the right time. Be sure to marinade chicken pieces for at least several hours so the pieces of chicken can soak in the flavor.
Be sure and brown your chicken in small batches so you don’t crowd your pan. You want to make sure each piece gets a nice brown color as it adds excellent flavor to each bite of your Cuban chicken stew.
Using bone-in chicken actually makes your chicken more moist and protects it from drying out during cooking.