Pollo Guisada

Brooke came home last week from 19 months in sunny Puerto Rico and is already missing some of the food.  Puerto Rican cuisine has its roots in Spanish, African, Amerindian, and after it became an American territory, American food influences crept in.  It's not spicy hot but has many layered flavors.  Soooo good an not at all what I was expecting.

Pollo Guisada starts with sofrito, the base of Puerto Rican cuisine.  Sofrito is to Puerto Rican food what a mirepoix is to French cooking or the trinity is to Cajun/Creole Cuisine. The Guisada was full of pieces of chicken on the bone, peppers, garlic, onions, herbs, tomato sauce, potatoes, and cilantro.  Delicious!!!  The recipe follows and I heartily recommend that you try this one.  Your family will love it.

Brooke served this with a bean/potato dish over white sticky rice and she made tostones (fried plantains) as well.  The meal was filling but didn't leave us feeling stuffed.  Everyone loved the flavors and textures of this meal.  I think the cuisine was the "best thing" she brought home to us (besides herself of course).

Stay tuned for the Habichuelas Rojas Guisada (bean/potato dish) recipe later this week.

Puerto Rican Pollo Guisado

1 whole chicken, cut up or 3 lbs. of chicken pieces

1 Tablespoon of oil for skillet

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 bell pepper, finely chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

¼ cup of chopped cilantro

2 tsp. of oregano or 1 package Sazon seasoning (Goya or Knorr brand)

1 bay leaf

8 oz. of tomato sauce

3 cups of chicken broth or water

3 cubed russet potatoes, with scrubbed skin left on

1-2 Tablespoons of Sofrito (may use Goya brand or make from scratch)

Wash and dry the chicken pieces, then salt and pepper. Brown the chicken in the oil. Remove chicken to a platter.

Sweat the onion and bell pepper over medium-low heat until soft and translucent and golden brown. Add the garlic and sofrito and cook for 1 minute.

Put the broth, tomato sauce, seasoning packets, bay leaf, and cilantro into the pot with the vegetables. Stir. Add chicken pieces. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover loosely and cook for 30 minutes. Add more liquid if needed so pot does not boil dry. Check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Add the potatoes and cook 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are cooked through and tender.

Serve warm

This recipe easily serves 6 to 8 people.