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Pollo Guisado Recipe (Chicken Stew)

Name: Pollo Guisado Recipe (Chicken Stew)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2-1/2 pound chicken (cut up, skin on); 2 tablespoons adobo seasoning; 1 tablespoon sazon seasoning; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 small onion (chopped); 1 small bell pepper (chopped (or use hotter peppers to your taste)); 3 cloves garlic (chopped); 1/4 cup sofrito; 1/2 cup olives; 3 medium potatoes (halved and quartered); 2-3 bay leaves; 8 ounces tomato sauce; 1 cup chicken broth; FOR GARNISH: Spicy chili flakes (fresh chopped parsley)

by Mike Hultquist · Nov 9, 2020 · 93 Comments

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This pollo guisado recipe is a flavorful braised chicken stew popular in Caribbean and Latin American cuisines, with loads of chicken, so easy to make!

If you're looking for a chicken stew recipe that is huge on flavor with lots of seasonings and hearty ingredients, look no further than Pollo Guisado, my friends. This is the chicken stew you've been searching for.

Chicken stew is an easy choice for simple weeknight cooking. This is true in American where we can season up some inexpensive cuts of chicken, toss it into a pot with vegetables and liquid, then braise it until it's ready to enjoy.

It's also true of many Caribbean and Latin American countries, where Pollo Guisado is the standard. You'll find variations of this recipe from Dominican, Spanish, El Salvidor, Mexico and elsewhere. Ingredients vary from country to country and cook to cook.

This is more of a Puerto Rican Pollo Guisado, and the results are wonderful. You'll get so much flavor with this dish. It is so easy to make.

Let's talk about how we make pollo guisado, shall we?

Pollo Guisado Ingredients

Chicken. Use a whole chicken for this recipe, cut up, about 2-1/2 pounds. You can use boneless, skinless chicken, but you'll get much more flavor with bone-in chicken.
Seasonings. Use 2 tablespoons adobo seasoning and 1 tablespoon sazon seasoning, very popular seasonings in Latin American cuisine. Also bay leaf for the simmering.
Oil. 2 tablespoons olive oil for browning the chicken.
Vegetables. Use 1 small onion, 1 small bell pepper, (or use hotter peppers to your taste), 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup olives and 3 medium potatoes.
Sofrito. I use 1/4 cup sofrito, though you can use more or less to your personal tastes. Try this homemade sofrito recipe.
Liquid. Use 8 ounces tomato sauce and 1 cup chicken broth
Garnish. Spicy chili flakes, fresh chopped parsley

How to Make Pollo Guisado - the Recipe Method

Season and Brown the Chicken. Season the chicken pieces with adobo and sazon seasoning. Be sure to get all sides. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes to brown all sides, flipping half way through.

Vegetables and Liquid. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and sofrito. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the olives, potatoes, bay leaves, tomato sauce and chicken broth.

Boil, then Simmer. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and fall-off-the-bone. It should register 165 degrees internal (minimum) when measured with a food thermometer.

Garnish and Serve. Garnish with red pepper flakes and fresh chopped parsley and serve.

Boom! Done! Pollo guisado is ready to serve! Looks delicious, doesn't it? I'm ready to dig right into this amazing chicken stew. Such a great recipe.

Serving Suggestions for Pollo Guisado

Serve your pollo guisado in a bowl as a hearty chicken stew with some crusty bread to sop up the wonderful sauce. Or, serve it over rice.

Recipe Tips & Notes

The Chicken. It is best to use bone-in chicken for the overall flavor. Chicken skin is optional. I usually keep it on. This recipe does work with boneless chicken, however, so feel free to use boneless chicken breast, thighs, or your favorite cuts.
The Seasonings. I use both adobo seasoning and sazon seasoning, popular in Puerto Rican and Latin American cuisine. Feel free to use others, such as cumin or chili powders.
The Vegetables. You can easily stretch this recipe with more potatoes, or use other ingredients you might have on hand, such as carrots, rutabaga, peas, corn, or root vegetables.
Slow Cooker Pollo Guisado. You can easily use a slow cooker or crock pot to make your pollo guisado. Just be sure to brown the chicken in a pan first, then transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for about 1.5 - 2 hours, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. This is not a traditional method, but it works great.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this pollo guisado recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. You can make it as spicy as you'd like.

Cookbook Recommendations

I've been learning a lot about Puerto Rican cooking from several different cookbooks. Here are links to 2 Puerto Rican cookbooks I highly recommend. They are great. These are affiliate links, my friends!

Puerto Rican Cuisine in America: Nuyorican and Bodega Recipes, by Oswald Rivera
Puerto Rican True Flavors, by Wilo Benet

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

Try Some of These Other Great Stews

Also check out my story on Pollo Guisado Chicken Stew.

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Pollo Guisado Recipe (Chicken Stew)

This pollo guisado recipe is a flavorful braised chicken stew popular in Caribbean and Latin American cuisines, with loads of chicken, so easy to make!

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Caribbean, Puerto Rican, Spanish

Keyword: chicken, one pot, sofrito, stew, whole chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Calories: 451kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings:

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5 from 35 votes

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Ingredients

2-1/2 pound chicken cut up, skin on
2 tablespoons adobo seasoning
1 tablespoon sazon seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion chopped
1 small bell pepper chopped (or use hotter peppers to your taste)
3 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 cup sofrito
1/2 cup olives
3 medium potatoes halved and quartered
2-3 bay leaves
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
FOR GARNISH: Spicy chili flakes fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

Season the chicken with adobo and sazon seasoning. Be sure to get all sides.
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes to brown all sides, flipping half way through.
Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic and sofrito. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add the olives, potatoes, bay leaves, tomato sauce and chicken broth.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and fall-off-the-bone. It should register 165 degrees internal (minimum) when measured with a food thermometer.
Garnish with red pepper flakes and fresh chopped parsley and serve.

Notes

Serving Suggestions

Serve your pollo guisado in a bowl as a hearty chicken stew with some crusty bread to sop up the wonderful sauce. Or, serve it over rice.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 451kcal Carbohydrates: 26g Protein: 28g Fat: 26g Saturated Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 96mg Sodium: 618mg Potassium: 1003mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 5g Vitamin A: 1009IU Vitamin C: 42mg Calcium: 45mg Iron: 3mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

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