Pollo Guisado (Stewed Chicken) in a flavorful broth of sofrito and tomato. This Puerto Rican chicken dish is simmered until fall off the bone tender and is best served over rice to soak up that delicious sauce!
Pollo Guisado
Today I’m adding another essential Puerto Rican recipe to the arsenal: Pollo Guisado.
For the carne guisada lovers, I already have a recipe for Puerto Rican Beef Stew posted.
There are quite a few names for this dish.
There are also Cuban, Dominican and other Latin variations of this dish.
It goes by Guisado de Pollo, Guiso, Puerto Rican Chicken Stew and Puerto Rican Stewed Chicken.
You may also see this recipe called Fricase de Pollo or Pollo en Fricase (Chicken Fricassee).
The only real difference I can find between Fricase and Guisado is the amount of liquid in the final product.
Guisado usually has more broth and Fricase has more tomato.
Sometimes it’s all about the chicken, and sometimes potatoes, carrots or other vegetables are added.
My mom likes to add zucchini to her pollo guisado. This is not at all traditional, but it increases the nutritional value and tastes delicious!
Basically, anything you add to this stew will soak up the incredible flavors of the broth, which is my favorite part.
Because the broth is so tasty and flavorful, we like to serve this stew over rice. It soaks up every last drop.
You’ll need sofrito to make this recipe, so check out my post on Puerto Rican sofrito, which also includes substitutes if you can’t find certain ingredients!
How to Make Pollo Guisado
The key to good pollo guisado is to season, season, season.
Start by seasoning the chicken. Legs and thighs are my favorite since they have more flavor.
Whatever pieces you use, I recommend bone-in and skin on.
I have used boneless, skinless chicken breasts before. And while the flavor is tasty, they’re nowhere near as tender.
If you want boneless, skinless chicken, stick with dark meat.
Brown the chicken. This adds another level of flavor.
Then prepare the broth which is seasoned with sofrito, tomato sauce and spices such as adobo seasoning and sazón.
You’ll also want to add some green olives for a pop of briny flavor and some potatoes.
This is also the time to add vegetables such as carrots or squash.
Taste your broth before adding the chicken back to the pot and make sure it’s well seasoned to your liking.
Then simmer everything until the chicken is fall-apart tender.
I’ve also cooked this in the Crock Pot before. You can do on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4.
Serve over white rice, or arroz con gandules if you so desire.
We also like to eat this with French bread and sliced avocado on the side.
Pollo Guisado (Stewed Chicken)
Puerto Rican style chicken stewed in a sofrito based broth with potatoes and olives.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs and/or legs
- 1 tablespoon adobo
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
For the broth:
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons Spanish olives
- 1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and diced into large chunks
- 1 cup cubed carrots or squash (optional)
- 2-3 cups chicken stock/broth or water
- 1 packet sazón or ½ teaspoon homemade (optional)
- 1 teaspoon adobo
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic power
- 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Instructions
For the chicken:
- Heat oil in caldero or large pot over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, season chicken pieces with adobo, garlic powder, salt, pepper and oregano.
- Brown chicken on all sides, then remove from pan and set aside.
For the broth:
- Add sofrito to pot and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Add olives, potatoes and chicken stock. Use more or less water depending how soupy you like it.
- Season with sazón, adobo, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then taste again, broth should taste bold and salty since the potatoes will soak up the flavor.
- Add chicken back to pot and lower heat. Cover and simmer until cooked through and chicken is tender, about 30-45 minutes. Serve over white rice.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 624Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 292mgSodium: 1035mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 57g
Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results.
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Mare
Saturday 6th of November 2021
This is a winner. Grew up on this but as time goes on we tweak and tweak then forget the actual basics LOL. This one reminded me so thank you 😉. I make this every two weeks, or rather I switch between guisado and fricasee. When I have wine available. You nailed it!!!
Rebecca
Friday 14th of June 2019
Thankyou so much for this recipe!!! I’m a novice cook, and this was easy to follow and make. I grew up with food like this.... now, I live in a really rural area and there is no place to get anything other than pizza. Anyway, I just made it, I’m actually eating as I’m writing. :) Delicious! I made it with boneless chicken.... still good. :) I did have a hard time finding the Sophrito, primarily because I thought it was a spice.... lol. It was near the Goya section. Thank you so much!
Rebekah
Friday 14th of June 2019
Thanks so much! I've made it with boneless chicken before too. :-) Thanks for the tip on where to find sofrito - readers will appreciate that.
Holly
Saturday 20th of April 2019
One of my best childhood friends is Puerto Rican, and I loved going to her house for dinner! Found this recipe and made it to the T. It was exactly like my friend’s mom used to make! It made a lot (just my boyfriend and me at the house) so I took it to work the next day, along with arroz con grandules. Now everyone thinks I can cook, haha! Thank you so much!
Pat
Monday 31st of December 2018
Can you do this with boneless chicken?
Rebekah
Monday 31st of December 2018
Yes, I've done it with boneless before.
ellen
Tuesday 18th of September 2018
I made this tonight and it was soooo good! Comfort food! Adding it to one of my favorites! Thank you! Oh and the sofrito -I could just eat that by itself even!