Dominican Pollo Guisado (Dominican Stewed Chicken)
Classic Dominican flavors shine in this pollo guisado recipe—a beloved stewed chicken dish in Dominican culture. It's made with garlic, peppers, tomatoes, olives, cilantro, and more and goes great with white rice and plantains.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken cut into small pieces
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 red onion chopped into fine strips or eighths
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 4 cloves garlic mashed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar optional
- 2 cups water
- 2 green bell or cubanela (cubanelle) peppers chopped
- 4 plum tomatoes cut into quarters
- ¼ cup pitted olives optional
- ½ cup chopped celery optional
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Small bunch fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Season the chicken: in a large bowl place the chicken with the lime, oregano, onions, salt, garlic and oil. Mix to combine and let marinate for 15-30 minutes.
- Brown the chicken: In a pot heat the oil over medium heat, add sugar, and wait until it browns. Add the chicken (reserve all the other things in the marinade for use in a later step) and cook and stir until the meat is light brown.
- Braise: Add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring and adding water by the tablespoon as it becomes necessary to prevent it from burning.
- Add vegetables: Stir in the vegetables that you had set aside from marinating the chicken, plus cubanelle pepper, tomatoes, and olives. Cover, and simmer until the vegetables are cooked through, about 10 minutes, adding water by the tablespoon and stirring as it becomes necessary.
- Make sauce: Add the tomato paste and half a cup of water, simmer over low heat to produce a light sauce, about 10 minutes. The vegetables will be very soft, the sauce a bit thick, and the chicken fall-off-the-bone tender.
- Serve: Add fresh cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve alongside your favorite sides and enjoy.
Notes
This recipe was adapted from the food blog Dominican Cooking.
The prep time may be longer or shorter depending on how long you choose to marinate the chicken.
Nutrition
Calories: 259kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 34gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.05gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 709mgPotassium: 864mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 780IUVitamin C: 46mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!