Cuban-Style Crispy Shredded Chicken (Vaca Frita de Pollo)

Vaca Frita de Pollo! Easy-to-make Cuban crispy shredded chicken with homemade mojo marinate, pan-fried with sautéed onions. Great use for leftover chicken!

Vaca frita de pollo is a delicious Cuban chicken dish made with crispy shredded chicken and mojo marinade. But here’s the thing, the word vaca frita translates to “fried cow”. So why is this called vaca frita if it’s not made with beef? Because the way authentic vaca frita is made is by shredded beef and pan frying it until crispy.

So, in this context/recipe, vaca frita is used as more of the cooking style for the chicken than an actual crispy beef dish. And I must say, it’s delicious! The crispy shredded chicken tastes citrusy and fresh yet crispy with sautéed onions. YUM!

How To Make Vaca Frita de Pollo (Cuban Crispy Shredded Chicken)

First, make sure the chicken is cooked and shredded. To cook and shred chicken, you can either place the chicken breasts in a slow cooker for 2-3 hours on high or poach the chicken breasts until cooked then shred them with 2 forks. You can also buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that. Promise, I won’t tell.

Transfer the cooked and shredded chicken to a bowl and add the marinade. Let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes or longer. The longer, the better.

When you’re ready to start cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté onions for 2 minutes or so then add the chicken. Cook the chicken at medium-high heat for 10 minutes, flipping over occasionally so all sides get crispy. You want crispy not burned so keep an eye on it.

Once your shredded chicken is crispy, serve with cauliflower congri, black beans, white rice, cauliflower rice or salad and lime wedges. That’s it! Healthy and full of flavor. Full recipe is below. Hope you love this dish as much as I do!