Pollo Guisado, the beloved chicken dish that everybody from Latin Caribbean islands grew up on. Its dynamics and taste changes from Dominican to Puerto Rican to Cuban.

This colorful, fall off the bone chicken is caramelized first and then braised in a beautiful sauce. Atop a bed of rice, this is ultimate bliss for many people! Try it, you will love the simplicity of this most flavorful and yum chicken stew.

What is pollo guisado?

Pronounced as “poy-yo gweeSAH-doh”, it translates as chicken stew. It is braised low and slow until the chicken is tender in the most flavorful sauce or stew. It comes in variations, evolving from island to island, with the family recipes passing from generation to generation.

The pollo guisado that first came into my life wasn’t Dominican, but Puerto Rican (which is coming to GypsyPlate in the near future… another reason to subscribe?). That has a bit more Latin ingredients and spices, so I decided to introduce this simple and easy Dominican version first. It has a beautiful sauce created by veggies and a few Latin spices, with the occasional tanginess of olives.

Ingredients

• Chicken – Any stew is best with bone in chicken parts. We used thighs and drumsticks, with skin removed.
• Onion – Yellow Spanish onion.
• Bell peppers – I am using three colors, to reflect the colorful island life.
• Fresh tomatoes – To create the sauce.
• Tomato paste – To enhance the flavors.
• Garlic – Plenty.
• Cilantro – An important Latin herb
• Green olive – You will find this in most guisados to create that Spanish flavor.
• Adobo – Their seasoned salt.
• Oregano – That’s the only spice we are using for this simple stew.
• Chicken broth – The base for the stew.
• Lime – For that freshness and tang.
• Olive oil – To tenderize the meat while marinating.
• Black pepper – A little extra flavor.
• Sugar – To caramelize and brown the chicken.

Let’s make this super simple Dominican stew

First, dice your veggies, garlic, cilantro and halve your olives.

Keep the chicken pieces large and remove skin. Place in a large bowl and coat with adobo, black pepper and oregano.

Add chopped veggies, garlic, olives, cilantro, lime juice and olive oil and mix everything well. If you have the time, marinate the chicken in all these yummies for a few hours. The more the better, as all the flavors seep into the meat.

When you are ready to cook, you will start by giving a little color to your chicken using a common Caribbean method. Heat up cooking oil in large stew pot over medium high heat. Then add sugar and stir continuously until it caramelizes, about one minute. Then add in your chicken pieces and cook for 5-6 minutes per side, until it gets a nice brown color. This is the secret for that amazing caramelized chicken you get in these stews.

Once that’s done, add the remaining marinade mixture, mix well, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste and chicken broth and again cover. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until the chicken is cooked fall of the bone, about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

You can add more chicken broth according to the consistency you like. I like it on the drier side with a nice thick sauce. Once done, you can squeeze in more lime if you want and garnish with more fresh cilantro.

How to serve Pollo Guisado

Serve this stew with a plateful of your favourite white rice and dig in. You will be amazed by the flavor that is created with such a simple few ingredients. If you want to go all out with your Latin night, you can have a side of black beans and fry some tostones.

Can I store it?

SURE YOU CAN! As any with other stew, it gets better and better as the days go by. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’s a great leftover on a busy weeknight. You can also freeze in an airtight container for 3 months.

So my friends, this coming week if you don’t know what to do with that chicken, try my Dominican style stew. This will make your life so easy, colorful and flavorful! In no time this is going to be your family favorite too… Buen Provencho!!

Dominican Pollo Guisado, on my Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

On the subject of Latin food…
Puerto Rican Picadillo
Crock Pot Barbacoa Pork
Pastel de Choclo
Cuban Mojo Marinade
Pico de Gallo
Bistec Encebollado
Salsa Taquera