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.
How To Make Fricase de Pollo
- 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!
You may also like:
- Pollo a la Plancha (Cuban Grilled Chicken Breast)
- Sopa de Pollo (Cuban Chicken Soup)
- Cuban Arroz Con Pollo
- Pollo Asado (Cuban-Style Grilled Chicken)
Fricase de Pollo (Cuban Chicken Fricassee)
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!
Tere says
Thank you for the authentic and wonderful recipes🥰🥰🥰
Jamie Silva says
So happy you love them, Tere!