Want to know what the epitome of a Sunday dinner in a Cuban household is after arroz con pollo? It’s this fricase de pollo recipe!

Fricase de pollo [pronounced free-kah-seh deh poh-yoh] is a chicken fricassee stew.

Fricassee is a French cooking method where you braise the chicken first without a sauce and then cook it as a stew with a sauce.

Unlike the French version that’s made with a thick white sauce, however, Cuban fricase de pollo is made with potatoes, capers, and olives in a tomato-based, broth-like wine sauce. It’s so full of flavor!

Let me show you how to make it.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Bone-in skin-on chicken pieces. I personally like using a mix of chicken drumsticks and chicken thighs. Use what you have! Just keep in mind that if you use chicken breasts, you will have to adjust the cooking time.

• Mojo marinade. A citrus marinade made with sour oranges (or sour orange juice), lots of garlic, spices, and olive oil.

• Olive oil. To brown the chicken.

• Yellow onion, green bell pepper, garlic. Sofrito! This is the base of most Cuban dishes.

• Tomato sauce.

• Vino seco. If you don’t have dry cooking wine, you can use white wine or chicken broth.

• Water.

• Spanish Manzanilla olives.

• Capers.

• Ground cumin, dried oregano, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Spices!

• Russet potatoes. No carrots, red peppers, or other veggies.

• Finely chopped parsley for garnish.

Step-By-Step Instructions

• Marinate the chicken. In a bowl, add the chicken with the mojo marinade. Place in the fridge and marinate for 1-2 hours.

• Season the chicken. Remove the chicken from the marinade, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper.

• Brown the chicken. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil at medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on all sides, in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Transfer to a plate. Set aside.

• Make the sofrito. Add the onions and green peppers and saute for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.

• Start the fricassee. Add the tomato sauce, cooking wine, water, olives, capers, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Gently stir to combine and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes then reduce heat to medium-low. Add the chicken back in along with the potatoes. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, covered with a lid.

• Check the water level. At the 30 minute mark, check to see if the stew is drying out. If yes, gently stir in 1/4 cup of water or more as needed.

• Add the potatoes. Continue to cook, covered with a lid, until the chicken and potatoes are fork-tender and most of the water has reduced. Serve with white rice. Enjoy!

Storage Tips

You can store leftovers of the fricassee in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge or for up to 1 month in the freezer. I’ll be honest the leftovers taste better the next day!

Fricase de Pollo (Cuban Chicken Fricassee)

5 from 8 votes

By: Jamie Silva

Fricase de Pollo (Cuban Chicken Fricassee) is a hearty chicken stew cooked in a flavorful tomato-based, broth-like wine sauce with potatoes, capers, and olives. The best of the best Cuban comfort food!

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Marinating Time 1 hr

Total Time 2 hrs 5 mins

Course Dinner, Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine Cuban

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

 

• 4 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks and thighs
• 1 cup mojo marinade
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion diced
• 1 large green bell pepper diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup vino seco dry cooking wine
• 2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup Spanish Manzanilla olives stuffed with pimentos
• 3 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• Salt + pepper to taste
• 2 large Russet potatoes cubed
• Finely chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

 

• In a bowl, add the chicken with the mojo marinade. Place in the fridge and marinate for 1-2 hours.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper.
• In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil at medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on all sides, in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Transfer to a plate. Set aside.
• Add the onions and green peppers and saute for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
• Add the tomato sauce, cooking wine, water, bay leaf, olives, capers, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Gently stir to combine and bring to a boil.
• Cook for 5 minutes then reduce heat to medium-low. Add the chicken back in along with the potatoes. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, covered with a lid.
• At the 30 minute mark, check to see if the stew is drying out. If yes, gently stir in 1/4 cup of water or more as needed.
• Continue to simmer, covered with a lid, until the chicken and potatoes are fork-tender and most of the water has reduced. Serve with white rice. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 servingCalories: 428 kcalCarbohydrates: 6 gProtein: 48 gFat: 22 gSaturated Fat: 7 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3 gMonounsaturated Fat: 9 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 156 mgSodium: 610 mgPotassium: 980 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 3 gVitamin A: 319 IUVitamin C: 21 mgCalcium: 73 mgIron: 2 mg

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