Sometimes I just want to love on my Latin Roots and bring those flavors back into my kitchen. Pollo Guisado (Latin Chicken Stew) is a simple but delicious meal that will have your house smelling like you have been cooking for hours. Loaded with flavors that will have you reminiscing about childhood memories watching your mom cooking in the kitchen. Nothing better than good ole Homestyle cooking on any day of the week.
Pollo Guisado (Latin Chicken Stew) offers so many different ways to make it but all have common ingredients. Commonly found are Spanish Olives, Sofrito, seasonings such as Adobo which is a blend of seasonings found in many different Seasoning Salts available in stores today as well as Sazon, Cilantro and Tomato Paste, Potatoes amongst others. Depending on what version you choose to make will determine the flavor you deliver.
My version I chose for this recipe focuses more on incorporating vegetables. Since I always seem to have Peppers, Onions and Garlic on hand, this seemed like an opportunity to use them up. A quick sautéing method was used to develop the flavors to infuse the Chicken with great Latin flavors. This in turn was used to create a broth that was later developed into something rich and decadent that can be served over some white rice and enjoyed along side some fresh Avocado or sliced Tomatoes. If you follow any of my other recipes, you will know that the most important aspect to building flavor is to build them from within.
Pollo Guisado (Latin Chicken Stew)
Equipment
- Deep Skillet with Lid or Dutch Oven
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Ingredients
Produce
- 1 Large Green Pepper Sliced thinly
- 1 Large White Onion Sliced thinly
- 5 Garlic Cloves Sliced thinly or minced
- 1/4 cup Cilantro Chopped
Protein
- 6 Chicken Thighs Cleaned and chopped to bite size pieces
Condiments
- 1/4 Fresh Sofrito May use Store bought and can be found in most Latin sections in grocery store
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste May substitute for 4 tablespoons Ketchup
- 10 Spanish Olives with Pimento
Seasonings
- 1 tbsp Garlic Herb Seasoning No Salt
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Goya Adobo Seasoning
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 3 Packets Sazon Seasoning with Annatto
- Black Pepper
Oil
- Olive Oil
Rice
- Prepared White Rice
Other
- 3 cups Water
Slurry (Optional) for thickening
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Water
Instructions
Preparation
- Heat deep skillet or Dutch Oven on medium high drizzling Olive Oil to coat the bottom.
- Add sliced Peppers, Onions and Garlic and begin sautéing until vegetables begin to soften and Garlic becomes fragrant.
- Place the Chicken in pan.
- Add the Garlic Herb Seasoning, Onion Powder, Adobo Seasoning, Cumin, Paprika, a generous pinch of Black Pepper and Tomato Paste (or Ketchup). Stir to incorporate seasonings into the Chicken and vegetables.
- Proceed to add the Sofrito, Spanish Olives and fresh Cilantro in and continue stirring. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes to infuse the flavor into the Chicken.
- Add 3 cups of Water and continue to stir until everything is combined. Cover with lid and let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through stirring periodically.
- Midway through cooking process, create Slurry by mixing Cornstarch and Water. I like my Pollo Guisada a little on the thicker side but this is optional.
- Add Slurry into Stew and give it a stir. It will begin to thicken.
- At this point, taste to see if additional seasoning is needed. Cover with lid and lower temperature to medium/low and continue cooking until ready to serve.
Serving
- Serve over prepared White Rice and garnish with fresh chopped Cilantro. This is often served with fresh sliced Avocado or sliced Tomatoes or if you are like me, I have them both. Enjoy!!!
