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Fricasé de pollo
Chicken stew with olives and raisins
Fricasé de pollo: Cuban chicken braised with potatoes, olives and raisins
Fricasé de pollo is a family dinner all over Cuba: chicken pieces marinated in sour orange and garlic, browned, then simmered with potatoes, green olives, capers and a few raisins in a light tomato sauce. The sweet-salty balance is what makes it so Cuban. A frequent mistake is skipping the marinade time; even an hour in the fridge seasons the meat right through. Serve with white rice. Chef's tip: add the raisins with the potatoes rather than at the start, so they plump up but don't melt into the sauce.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb chicken thighs and drumsticksbone in, skin removed
- ½ cup sour orange juiceor 70 ml orange juice with 30 ml lime juice
- 5 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 ½ tsp saltdivided
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 1 green pepperchopped
- 9 oz tomato passata
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ⅛ lb potatoespeeled, cut into 3 cm chunks
- 2 ⅛ oz pimento-stuffed green olives
- 1 tbsp capersdrained
- 1 ⅜ oz raisins
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Toss 2 ⅝ lb chicken thighs and drumsticks with ½ cup sour orange juice, 5 garlic cloves, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano and half the ¾ tsp salt. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 1–4 hours.
60 minStep 2: Lift the chicken out (keep the marinade) and pat dry. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the pieces for 8 minutes, turning, until golden. Lift out.
8 minStep 3: Lower the heat and cook 1 onion and 1 green pepper for 6 minutes until soft. Add 9 oz tomato passata, 1 ¼ cups water, the marinade, 1 bay leaf and the rest of ¾ tsp salt and bring to a simmer.
7 minStep 4: Return the chicken, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 5: Add 1 ⅛ lb potatoes, 2 ⅛ oz pimento-stuffed green olives, 1 tbsp capers and 1 ⅜ oz raisins, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken reaches 165°F at the thickest part, with juices running clear.
25 minStep 6: Uncover and simmer for 5 minutes if you like a thicker sauce, then serve with rice.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fricasé de pollo take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sour orange juice?
- Mandarin or pineapple juice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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