Try this hearty and comforting Pollo Guisado (Puerto Rican chicken stew). With just one hour of cook time, this traditional favorite can be whipped up any time, even busy weeknights. The ingredients are inexpensive and easily sourced. Try it out today! This recipe is just one part of a larger collaboration with the organization Eat the Culture.
In 2023, the theme of Black History Month is Black Resistance and Eat the Culture is recognizing the remarkable and, frankly, underrated resistance of our ancestors in bringing culinary traditions across the Atlantic to shape the vibrance of Black cuisine that we know and love today. They physically and mentally carried African foodways across the deadly Middle Passage to pass down through generations. This year’s Black History Month Virtual Potluck traces popular dishes of the Diaspora from their West African roots to North America and beyond. Share these recipes with your friends and loved ones and follow each participant by using the hashtag #BHMVP2023 on Instagram.
You can grab the full list of recipes from this year’s collaboration on the Eat the Culture website.
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Peace, family
Muamba chicken originated in Angola and has migrated with enslaved African people across the Caribbean, Central America, and the American South. This flavorful stewed chicken main dish combines spices and palm butter. Today, I’m teaching you how to make Pollo Guisado from Puerto Rico and encourage you to follow the story through Poulet Creole (Kenneth Temple) from Haiti and Muamba Chicken (Flights and Food) from Angola.
This year’s collaboration is extremely meaningful to me. I’ve recently begun using DNA testing to trace my ancestry. Through this, I’ve learned about the cultures and foodways of my ancestors and how they have been adapted throughout the African diaspora. This has also allowed me to look at other cultures and examine how our traditional ingredients, methods, and recipes are intertwined.
What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Pollo Guisado?
- Chicken – this recipe is best with bone-in, skin-on chicken. I use a mix of legs and thighs.
- Olive Oil
- Sazón – Adobo and Sazón are popular Latin American spice blends that are easy to find in supermarkets
- Adobo
- Oregano
- Onion Powder
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Black Pepper
- Smoked Paprika
- Red Bell Pepper – the peppers and onion will be diced.
- Green Bell Pepper
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic – fresh, minced garlic
- Tomato Sauce
- Tomato Paste
- Lime – the juice of one medium lime.
- Recaito – Puerto Rican sofrito. Recaito omits tomato sauce, which is used in the Pollo Guisado recipe. Both sofrito and recaito can be store-bought.
- Chicken Broth
- Bay Leaves
- Green Olives – some brine included
- Carrots – peeled and sliced
- Potatoes – peeled and cubed
How to Make Pollo Guisado
- Add the chicken to a mixing bowl and coat with olive oil. Use tongs to mix.
- In a small dish, combine the sazón, adobo, oregano, onion powder, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and smoked paprika to create a seasoning blend. Use this blend to season the chicken in the bowl. Toss/mix well to ensure that all of the chicken is well-seasoned.
- Add a bit of olive oil to the dutch oven, and allow to heat (medium high) for 4 minutes.
- Add the seasoned chicken to the dutch oven and allow to brown for about 5 minutes per side.
- Remove the chicken from the dutch oven and set aside. While the dutch oven is still hot, add the diced red bell pepper, diced green bell pepper, diced yellow onion, and minced garlic. Cook until the peppers and onion begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, lime juice, recaito, chicken broth, and bay leaves. Stir Well. Return the chicken to the dutch oven, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, add the green olives, sliced carrots and cubed potatoes. Cover again and allow to cook for an additional 20 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are soft, and the chicken is fall-off-the bone tender.
- Taste your Pollo Guisado to ensure the salt content is to your liking; adjust as needed, adding a 1/2 teaspoon at a time.
Serving Suggestions/Toppings
- White Rice
- Lime Wedges
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Plantanos
Try it out and let me know what you think! When you make it, be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram or Facebook!
Peace,
Adri
Can’t make this right now? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board for later! Connect with me via Pinterest while you’re there!
Related Recipes:
Pollo Guisado (Chicken Stew)
Try this hearty and comforting Pollo Guisado (chicken stew). The chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender. With just one hour of cook time, this traditional favorite can be whipped up any time, even busy weeknights. The ingredients are inexpensive and easily sourced. Try it out today!
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds Chicken (bone-in)
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 pack Sazón
- 2 teaspoons Adobo
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 Small Yellow Onion, diced
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 15 oz Tomato sauce
- 6 oz Tomato Paste
- 1 Lime, juiced
- ½ cup Recaito
- 3 cups Chicken Broth
- 3 Bay Leaves
- ½ cup Green Olives (¼ cup brine included)
- 4 Carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed
Instructions
Add the chicken to a mixing bowl and coat with olive oil. Use tongs to mix.
In a small dish, combine the sazón, adobo, oregano, onion powder, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and smoked paprika to create a seasoning blend. Use this blend to season the chicken in the bowl. Toss/mix well to ensure that all of the chicken is well-seasoned.
Add a bit of olive oil to the dutch oven, and allow to heat (medium high) for 4 minutes. Add the seasoned chicken to the dutch oven and allow to brown for about 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the dutch oven and set aside.
While the dutch oven is still hot, add the diced red bell pepper, diced green bell pepper, diced yellow onion, and minced garlic. Cook until the peppers and onion begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, lime juice, recaito, chicken broth, and bay leaves. Stir Well.
Return the chicken to the dutch oven, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, add the green olives, sliced carrots and cubed potatoes. Cover again and allow to cook for an additional 20 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are soft, and the chicken is fall-off-the bone tender.
Taste your Pollo Guisado to ensure the salt content is to your liking; adjust as needed, adding a 1/2 teaspoon at a time.
Notes
Serving Suggestions/Toppings:
- White Rice
- Lime Wedges
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Plantanos
Recommended Products
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PALADA Stainless Set of 7-Small Tablespoon to 1/8 Metal Teaspoon Set Mini measuring spoons, Medium, Steel -
Bovado USA Glass Bowl for Storage, Mixing, Serving - Clear, Dishwasher, Freezer & Oven Safe Glass, Easy-Clean, 1.5 QT
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Yundu 28 Ounce Ceramic Bowls Ice Cream/Dessert/Cereal Bowls, Microwave Safe Bowls for Soup, Large Bowl, Set of 3,Marble Color of Gray
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T-fal Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven with Lid, 6 quart, Blue
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 975Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 320mgSodium: 853mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 9gSugar: 15gProtein: 89g
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